SCOTLAND

West Dunbartonshire Council: Local Government Finance

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the likely effects on West Dunbartonshire local authority area of the implementation of the proposals in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Michael Moore: I have had many discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of issues, including the effects of the spending review in Scotland. The spending review sets out how the Government will carry out Britain's unavoidable deficit reduction plan, and builds on the foundations for sustainable, balanced, private sector-led recovery set out in the Chancellor's June Budget. Alongside growth, the Government have prioritised fairness, including reforming the welfare system to put it on a sustainable long-term footing, while providing sustained routes out of poverty for the poorest. Scotland and its regions will stand to benefit from these priorities.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Audit Commission

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has had recent discussions with Audit Commission staff on proposals for a mutual model for the Audit Commission.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 25 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 86-87W. Mutualisation is one of a number of options for moving the Commission's in-house audit practice into the private sector that are currently being considered. I shall shortly be meeting the Chairman and the Chief Executive of the Audit Commission.

European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company: Contracts

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Gloucester of 18 October 2010,  Official Report, column 504W, on fire services, what contractual  (a) obligations and  (b) milestones in respect of the FiReControl project EADS has not delivered (i) on time and (ii) on budget.

Bob Neill: The FiReControl project has been subject to repeated delays, missed milestones and failed obligations. In particular, the two main areas where EADS has not met its obligations under the Project Agreement are:
	The time for delivery of the project; and
	Building the system in accordance with the project agreement, especially compliance with the requirements and solution.
	In November 2008 the previous Government had to announce a substantial delay-of nine months-and less than eight months later, in July 2009, a further delay of ten months.
	I have made it clear that I now require this project to be delivered to time, cost and quality, and so we have activated a key milestone in our contract with EADS for the main IT system to be delivered in three control centres by mid-2011. This is in line with the July 2009 statement to the House and EADS's assurances given to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee in February this year.
	While EADS is contracted to deliver the FiReControl system to a fixed price-and must deliver within this-every delay increases all DCLG's running costs associated with the project, including staffing and maintenance of buildings.
	Our aim is to give operational certainty for the fire and rescue service and financial certainty for the taxpayer. We are not going to provide additional public funding to bail out this contract.

Faithwise Ltd: Contracts

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who authorised the establishment of his Department's contractual arrangements with Faithwise Ltd.

Bob Neill: The Department's contract with Faithwise was authorised by Jane Everton of the Preventing Extremism Unit.

Fire Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to publish the report of his Department's strategic review of the Fire and Rescue Service.

Bob Neill: The Fire Futures strategic review of the Fire and Rescue Service is a sector led project on fire and rescue provision in England.
	The report will be presented to me by the sector in the autumn and a copy published on the departmental website shortly after. A copy will also be made available for the Library of the House.

Fire Services: North East

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to make a decision on proposals to develop or redevelop 17 community fire stations and other facilities submitted by fire authorities in the North East under the private finance initiative.

Bob Neill: The Department's position on its PFI projects in procurement-including the North East fire authorities project-will be considered and confirmed as quickly as possible following the Spending Review 2010. We would expect to reach decisions by December.
	As set out in the Spending Review framework, published on 8 June 2010, we will evaluate spending programmes against tough criteria on ensuring value for money. We will also assess projects on a case-by-case basis for value for money and against other departmental priorities.

Housing: Construction

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) affordable and  (b) social homes likely to be built in Hull in the next four years.

Andrew Stunell: The Department does not forecast levels of future house building and delivery will be determined by local housing plans.
	The latest information on affordable housing completions in England for 2009-10 was published by the Department on 28 October.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/affordablehousing200910
	Live Tables 1006, 1007 and 1008 provide information on the supply of affordable homes located within individual local authorities.

Housing: Construction

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what capital funding his Department has allocated to constructing social housing in Tower Hamlets for  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12 and  (c) 2012-13.

Grant Shapps: The following table shows forecast spend on existing commitments for social housing schemes in Tower Hamlets through the Homes and Communities Agency's National Affordable Housing Programme and local authority new build for the years 2010-11 to 2012-13.
	
		
			  Social rent  £ million 
			 2010-11 59.6 
			 2011-12 50.3 
			 2012-13 26.8 
		
	
	We announced in the spending review almost £4.5 billion investment, including existing commitments, for new affordable housing which through a new delivery model is expected to deliver up to 155,000 new affordable homes over this spending review period. We will publish details of how these proposals will work shortly. A further £2 billion will be provided for the Decent Homes programme.

Housing: Oxfordshire

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of housing in Oxford West and Abingdon constituency is  (a) social and  (b) private sector (i) owner occupied, (ii) shared ownership and (iii) rented housing.

Andrew Stunell: Statistics on dwelling stock are not collected at constituency level. Local authority level figures are published in Housing Statistics live table 100 at the Department for Communities and Local Government website at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/stockincludingvacants/livetables/
	The figures show stock by private, registered social landlords and local authority tenures. Estimates are not available which separate the privately owned stock into that which is rented and owner occupied.

Ironbridge Gorge

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding he has allocated for land instability works in the Ironbridge Gorge.

Bob Neill: The long term strategy for addressing the land instability issues in Ironbridge Gorge and related funding is being considered following the outcome of the Spending Review published on 20 October.

Local Government: Contracts

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance his Department issues to local authorities on tendering for contracts with small and medium-sized enterprises; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Subject to their legal duties, including the duty of best value and public procurement law local authorities are responsible for taking their own procurement decisions. The Department has not issued general guidance to local authorities on tendering with small and medium-sized enterprises.
	The Government announced on 1 November plans to help small and medium-sized businesses to flourish and to encourage entrepreneurs. The Prime Minister has also appointed Lord Young as an Enterprise Adviser to write a report on what more Government can do to help smaller enterprises and start-ups to prosper.
	As part of the Government's commitment to increasing transparency and openness, all councils have been called on to publish invitations to tender and final contracts on projects over £500 by the start of 2011.
	The Local Government Association Group (LGAG), through its 'Place Based Productivity' programme, is looking at a range of productivity topics, including procurement. This sector-led programme aims to identify best practice and new and innovative ways to support local government and its partners in finding greater efficiencies. For further details see:
	http://www.local.gov.uk/lgv2/aio/678644

Local Government: Expenditure

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of publishing each item of expenditure of £500 and above and responding to enquiries arising from such publication in 2011-12.

Bob Neill: Local authorities that are already publishing items of expenditure of £500 and above suggest there is no additional cost. Rather than creating a new financial burden additional transparency should help reduce wasteful expenditure, which is why local authorities have been asked to publish such information, for example, research by Experian has highlighted that local authorities spend £150 million a year on duplicate payments, which the process of transparency will help avoid. Any formal requirement to publish this information will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

Local Strategic Partnerships

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the future of local strategic partnerships; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 14 September 2010,  Official Report, column 1030W.

Mitie Contract

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's cleaning contract with Mitie.

Bob Neill: The documents requested have been deposited in the Library of the House.

Mobile Homes

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to require owners of park homes to register their properties with the Land Registry.

Grant Shapps: There are no plans to require owners of park homes to register their homes with the Land Registry. A park home is a moveable chattel, stationed with the permission of the site owner. There is no estate or interest in the pitch. There is therefore nothing to register with the Land Registry.

Mobile Homes

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many park home sites there are in each constituency.

Grant Shapps: This information is not held centrally.

Promotional Gifts

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what promotional gift products were purchased by his Department from  (a) The Purple Company (UK) and  (b) Giftpoint in each of the last three financial years; and at what total cost to his Department in each case.

Bob Neill: The Department has made no purchases from  (a) The Purple Company (UK) and  (b) Giftpoint in the last three years.

Revenue Support Grant

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether he proposes that unringfenced grants to be included in Revenue Support Grant are to be additional to or included in floor damping arrangements;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities which will receive no revenue support grant in 2011-12 owing to grant reductions and changes in responsibility for funding concessionary fares.

Bob Neill: We will announce our proposals for the distribution of formula grant to the House in due course.

Social Rented Housing

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the likely effects on incentives to gain employment of reviewing social tenancies when tenants' circumstances change.

Andrew Stunell: In 2008-09 only 49% of social rented tenants of working age were in work. We need to take action to address the high levels of worklessness in the social rented sector.
	We have rightly opened a wide debate about how we can create a social housing system which will provide stability where it is needed; provide more choice for tenants and prospective tenants; protect vulnerable households; and help get people into long-term employment.
	We have recently pledged to introduce a national social home swap programme to make it easier for social tenants to move to another home or another part of the country, increasing their opportunities to find work.
	We also plan to make it easier for social tenants to work from home and start up home businesses.

Squatting

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many instances of squatting were recorded in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009.

Andrew Stunell: This information is not held centrally.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Pay

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of  (a) farm employees being paid wages below Agricultural Wages Board rates and  (b) farm employers paying wages below such rates.

James Paice: The information is as follows:
	 (a) In 2009, there were approximately 26,000 workers over the age of 21 (21% of non-salaried workers) who were recorded as being paid at lower rates than the minimums for their grade.
	It is important to note that these earnings figures may include data for workers who are not covered by the Agricultural Wages Order. For example, this could be family workers who benefit from the profits of the business or apprentices. It could also include first year apprentices for whom the order supplies additional and lower minimum rates or trainees working as part of an approved agricultural training course. The analysis excludes those aged 21 and under to minimise these effects.
	Therefore the proportion of workers apparently paid below the agricultural minimum wage rate might be overstated to the extent that the data will include some workers who are not protected by agricultural minimum wage rates or for whom there is a lower minimum rate.
	
		
			  Number of workers( 1)  by AWB grade in England and Wales paid below the AWB rate for their grade (2009) 
			  Grade  Number of workers  Percentage of workers at that grade 
			 1 1,881 11 
			 2 14,946 25 
			 3 3,260 34 
			 4 6,245 29 
			 5 1,789 18 
			 6 735 19 
			 All grades 25,691 21 
			  Notes: 1. Only includes workers aged 22 and above. 2. June survey information is based on data captured for 1 June 2009, whereas the Earnings and Hours Survey information is based on four quarterly surveys from January 2009, March 2009, June 2009 and September 2009 for the respective year. 3. These figures are based on a sample survey and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.  Source: June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture and DEFRA survey of Earning and Hours. 
		
	
	 (b) We do not have an accurate estimate for the number of employers in England and Wales who were found to have paid workers below the agricultural minimum wage rate for their grade.

Agriculture: Pay

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many agricultural employers were found to have paid workers below rates set by the Agricultural Wages Board in each of the last five years.

James Paice: We do not have an accurate estimate for the number of employers in England and Wales who were found to have paid workers below the agricultural minimum wage rate for their grade.

Animal Welfare: Litter

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent representations her Department has received on stomach complaints in animals following the ingestion of wire from used sky lanterns;
	(2)  if she will estimate the number of occasions on which sky lanterns have damaged  (a) livestock and  (b) crops in each of the last 12 months.

James Paice: holding answer 1 November 2010
	 We have received no representations specifically on stomach complaints in animals following the ingestion of wire from used sky lanterns. However, we have received anecdotal evidence of damage caused by Chinese lanterns to livestock and crops. As this is insufficient to make any formal estimates of the damage incurred, we have met with the farming unions and others in order to begin to build an evidence base of the problems caused.
	DEFRA and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) are aware of concerns about the damage caused by Chinese lanterns and are looking into necessary actions to reduce the risks posed. BIS will also be working with local authority trading standards to encourage importers to improve the safety of these products and to make them fully biodegradable.

Bees

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the risks to the beekeeping industry of the agricultural use of neonicotinoid pesticides.

James Paice: The UK pesticides regulatory body-the Health and Safety Executive's Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD)-has liaised with other EU regulatory authorities that have imposed restrictions on the use of these pesticides. It also reviews developments on how risks to bee health from the use of pesticides are assessed and monitored. CRD scientists attended the 10th International Symposium of the International Commission for Plant-Bee Relationships (ICPBR) on Hazards of Pesticides to Bees, in October 2008; no new scientific evidence was presented at this meeting, or more recently, to suggest a need for changes to current UK pesticide authorisations.
	Ministers have also considered scientific advice, including views of the independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides, on a report issued last year by a number of environmental organisations-the Buglife report 'The impact of neonicotinoid insecticides on bumblebees, honeybees and other non-target invertebrates (2009)'. The conclusion was that this report highlighted a need for data on the impacts of pesticides on overwintering of bees in the pesticides risk assessment process. This is an area where regulatory science has developed recently and which is being addressed by changes to the EU regulatory system. On the basis of current evidence there is no justification for making changes to data requirements in advance of these changes.
	CRD would act on any substantive evidence should incidents occur in the UK and will continue to monitor research and developments in other EU member states and elsewhere to see if they are relevant to the UK.

Climate Change: Forests

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take in response to the recommendations of the Read report on 'Combating climate change: a role for UK forests'.

James Paice: The Woodland Carbon Task Force (lead by the Forestry Commission) is establishing conditions for a step-change in woodland creation and an increase in sustainable forest management, to increase the harvesting and use of wood. The task force is exploring how carbon finance and future wood fuel and timber income make woodland creation and management an economically viable proposition. The task force will also encourage local initiatives for woodland creation and work with a range of interested parties to identify barriers to woodland creation and management.
	The Forestry Commission has initiated a pilot phase for the Woodland Carbon Code that sets out robust requirements for voluntary carbon sequestration projects that incorporate core principles of good carbon management as part of modern sustainable forest management.
	The Read report identified that adaptation is needed now; the Forestry Commission has recently published guidance on adaptation in England. This, and forthcoming climate change guidelines that will underpin the UK Forestry Standard will, for the first time, establish the consideration of climate change adaptation as a requirement of sustainable forest management in the UK.
	The role of trees in helping society to adapt is also important, and we have indicated that we will launch a tree planting campaign later in the year, addressing the report's recommendation that tree planting should be targeted to where people live and congregate.

Fisheries

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons the Marine Management Organisation requires fishermen operating vessels of under 10 metres to maintain log books.

Richard Benyon: The MMO has decided to introduce a requirement for the masters of under 10 metre fishing vessels fishing, in either ICES Areas IVc and VIId or ICES Areas VIId and VIIe in the same fishing trip, to complete and submit an EU logbook.
	This new monitoring requirement is intended to provide greater assurance over the accuracy of catch information for fish stocks in those areas, following concerns that have been expressed over the potential misdeclaration of area of catch. The majority of fishermen operating in those areas, who do not fish in more than one area in a single trip, will as now not have to complete logbooks. On the other hand, a number of fishermen who are likely to be caught by the new requirement will already be completing logbooks because they lease fish.

Fisheries

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what requirements fishermen in the under 10 metre fleet had to complete log books in the last 30 years.

Richard Benyon: There is no requirement in EU law for the masters of under 10 metre vessels to complete logbooks, but member states may require the masters of vessels flying their flag to do so where they consider it appropriate for management purposes.
	In the United Kingdom there has been no such general obligation. However, masters of under 10 metre vessels who lease quota are required to complete an EU logbook. In addition, those catching nephrops have been required to complete a weekly catch return (NEP 1) since 2001, and those with a shellfish entitlement have since 2005 had to complete, and submit, a monthly return containing details of their catches of crabs and lobsters.

Flood Control

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress she has made on implementing in Hull the recommendations of the Pitt review of lessons learned from the 2007 floods.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency, the local authority and Yorkshire Water have worked together to review how surface water flooding is managed in the city, and the local authority has produced a Surface Water Management Plan. The Environment Agency is working with partners to share information and develop a more co-ordinated approach to flood risk. The Environment Agency also invests in the maintenance of flood defences such as the Hull tidal barrier and the East Hull pumping station.
	Work is ongoing to raise awareness among the local community about flood risk. The Environment Agency's Floodline Warnings Direct system covers 8,896 properties at risk of tidal or river flooding in and around Hull, and partnership work is under way to help the most vulnerable communities to become more resilient to flooding. The Extreme Rainfall Alert service will help predict surface water flooding in the city.
	In 2011, the local authority will have the opportunity to test its incident response as part of Exercise Watermark.

Flood Control: Finance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding she expects to provide to  (a) Gloucestershire County Council and  (b) Tewksbury Borough Council for flood defences in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 1 November 2010
	Local authorities' responsibilities under the Flood and Water Management Act will be fully funded by DEFRA, primarily through area-based grant, but it is too early to say what this means for expenditure in individual local authority areas. Local authorities will continue to be funded through formula grant from the Department of Communities and Local Government, and with capital grants from the Environment Agency. In addition, DEFRA will be fully funding new burdens under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, primarily through area-based grant provided directly to each lead local flood authority. Formula grant and area-based grant will be provided unringfenced, to give local authorities the flexibility they need to meet their priorities.

Forestry

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department plans to mark the International Year of Forests in 2011.

James Paice: The International Year of Forests (IYF) provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of the world's forests. The Government are committed to tackling deforestation, which contributes to climate change, biodiversity loss and poverty. Internationally, the IYF will provide an opportunity to highlight our achievements in this area, including action to ban the placing of illegally harvested timber on the UK market, and to raise the profile of forest issues worldwide. Here in the UK, the Forestry Commission is planning various initiatives and events to mark the IYF.

Forestry Commission

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to require  (a) successor bodies to the Forestry Commission and  (b) owners of former Forestry Commission sites to fulfil the Commission's undertaking to restore planted ancient woodland sites with native broadleaf species.

James Paice: In my letter to all Members of Parliament on 29 October I outlined the Government's plans for the Public Forest Estate in England. The Forestry Commission continues to play an important role in protecting and expanding the trees, woods and forests in England. There will be a new approach to ownership and management of woodlands and forests, with a reducing role for the state and a bigger role for individuals, businesses, civil society organisations and local authorities in a managed programme of reform in which the Forestry Commission will play a crucial role.
	The protection of our most valuable and biodiverse forests will not be compromised. Full measures will remain in place to preserve the public benefits of woods and forests under any new ownership arrangements. DEFRA and the Forestry Commission will consult on the proposals and will invite views from a wide range of potential private and civil society partners on a number of new ownership options and the means to secure public benefits, including the restoration of planted ancient woodland sites.

Forestry Commission

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether an environmental impact assessment has been undertaken of the Government's proposals to sell or lease part of the Forestry Commission estate.

James Paice: An impact assessment, along with an Equality Impact Assessment, will be published as part of the consultation on proposals for the Public Forest Estate in England.

Forestry Commission: Manpower

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were employed by the Forestry Commission at the latest date for which figures are available.

James Paice: At the end of September the Forestry Commission, as a non-ministerial Department for England, Scotland and Wales, employed 3,454 people, in both full and part-time positions.

Forests

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Forestry Commission on sales from the public forest estate.

James Paice: The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial Government Department that reports to the DEFRA Secretary of State; The Forestry Commission has been closely involved in discussions on the new approach to ownership and management of woodlands and forests.

Forests

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans she has for the sale of the public forest estate in  (a) the Forest of Dean,  (b) the New Forest and  (c) Sherwood Forest;
	(2)  what plans she has for sales from the Public Forest Estate;
	(3)  how many hectares of the Public Forest Estate the Forestry Commission plans to sell.

James Paice: DEFRA and the Forestry Commission will consult the public on proposals regarding the Public Forest Estate. We will invite views from a wide range of potential private and civil society partners on a number of new ownership options while protecting public benefits. I envisage a managed programme of reform to further develop a competitive, thriving and resilient forestry sector that includes many sustainably managed woods operating as parts of viable land-based businesses. No decisions have been made in relation to any individual sites.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the cost to the egg production industry of meeting the requirements of Council Directive 1999/74/EC on minimum standards of welfare for laying hens.

James Paice: The estimated cost to the egg production industry of Council Directive 1999/74 is based on two key operational requirements placed on the poultry egg industry in 2012: the banning of conventional cages from 2012 and the introduction of stricter stocking density requirements for free-range and barn egg producers.
	The total cost to the industry over a 25 year period from 2009 is estimated to be £176 million, of which capital costs are estimated to be £102.8 million and production costs are estimated to be £72.9 million.
	These estimates are based on British Egg Industry Council analysis, DEFRA commissioned ADAS research and subsequent discussions with industry in 2009.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the merits of taking steps to ensure that eggs not meeting the requirements consequent on the implementation of the proposed EU prohibition on conventional cages are not imported.

James Paice: I recently wrote to the Commission about my concerns about possible non-compliance with the EU-wide ban on eggs and egg products produced from hens housed in conventional cages after 1 January 2012 and requested it begins work on a practical enforcement solution to help manage the transition across Europe. This might be through the introduction of an intra-community ban on the trade in eggs produced by hens still housed in conventional cages after 1 January 2012. In practice this would mean that such eggs may only be sold in the member state of production for a limited period only. This will help protect compliant producers and ensure that they are not disadvantaged if there is any delay to the ban, or other member states do not meet the 2012 deadline.

Trees

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of trees planted with Government funding since 6 May 2010.

James Paice: We have not yet made an estimate of trees planted since 6 May 2010 as the normal planting season runs from November to March.

PRIME MINISTER

BP: Libya

Robert Halfon: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 6 September 2010,  Official Report, column 2W, what timetable has been set for the Cabinet Secretary to review papers on whether his predecessor and his predecessor's officials met BP and the government of Libya on oil drilling off the coast of Libya between July 2007 and March 2008; and whether he plans to publish the Cabinet Secretary's conclusions.

David Cameron: The Cabinet Secretary expects to conclude his work shortly. Dependent upon the outcome, this may include publishing additional relevant papers.

Public Expenditure

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what definition of the UK's national interest the Government used in the  (a) National Security Strategy,  (b) Strategic Defence and Security Review and  (c) Comprehensive Spending Review; and what the component elements were of the national interest as so defined;
	(2)  what criteria he plans to use to assess the effectiveness of the  (a) National Security Strategy,  (b) Strategic Defence and Security Review and  (c) Comprehensive Spending Review in promoting the UK's national interest.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to section 2.12 of the National Security Strategy.
	A Strong Britain in an Age of Uncertainty: The National Security Strategy (Cm 7953)
	2.12: Our security, prosperity and freedom are interconnected and mutually supportive. They constitute our national interest.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Parliamentary Questions

Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many questions have been  (a) rejected and  (b) carded by the House of Commons Table Office since September 2010, broken down by political party.

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many notices of questions for oral answer submitted for inclusion in the shuffle on 25 October 2010 were not included in the shuffle; and how many such questions were submitted by members of the Official Opposition party.

Stuart Bell: During the period between 1 September 2010 and 27 October 2010, 7,428 questions for written answer were tabled and printed; 4,564 questions for oral answer were entered into the shuffle (a process dependent upon automated random number generation to determine which questions appear on the Order Paper and in what order); of these oral questions, 1,534 were topical questions.
	The Table Office can only put on to the Order Paper or into the shuffle questions which comply with the rules of the House. If a question appears to be disorderly the Member is sent a card and asked to discuss how it might be brought within the rules. Questions are not rejected and there is an appeal mechanism for Members dissatisfied with the advice they receive.
	The available data are set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  Table 1: Questions for oral answer (other than topical questions),  1 September 2010 to 27 October 2010 
			   Conservative  Labour  Liberal Democrat  Other  Total 
			 Number of questions entered in 'the shuffle' by party 1,729 1,033 204 64 3,030 
			 Proportion by party of total number of questions entered in 'the shuffle' (percentage 57 34 7 2 100 
			 Number of questions printed by party (percentage) 313 170 35 7 525 
			 Proportion by party of total number of questions printed (percentage) 60 32 7 1 100 
			 Number of questions 'carded' by party 240 171 27 8 446 
			 Proportion by party of total number of questions 'carded' (percentage) 54 38 6 2 100 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Questions for written answer, 1 September 2010 to 27 October 2010 
			   Conservative  Labour  Liberal Democrat  Other  Total 
			 Number of questions tabled and printed by party 3,148 3,177 594 509 7,428 
			 Proportion by party of total number of questions tabled and printed (percentage) 42 43 8 7 100 
			 Number of questions 'carded' by party 760 920 106 99 1,885 
			 Proportion by party of total number of questions 'carded' (percentage) 40 49 6 5 100 
		
	
	On 25 October 2010 the Table Office performed three shuffles; one for questions to the Secretary of State for Transport, one for questions to the Minister for Women and Equality and a third to determine the hon. Members to be called to put a topical oral question to the Secretary of State for Transport.
	
		
			  Shuffle  No. of questions received before the cut-off  No. of questions carded  No. of carded questions later amended and put into shuffle  No. of questions shuffled  No. of questions received but not in shuffle  No. of questions received from Members of the official Opposition but not in shuffle 
			 Women and Equality 92 33 15 73 18 17 
			 Transport (substantive) 139 15 15 138 0 0 
			 Transport (topical) 119 0 n/a 119 0 0 
			 Totals 350 48 30 330 18 17

Personal Safety Seminars: Expenditure

Greg Knight: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate he has made of the cost of running the three seminars on personal safety on 26 October, 2 November and 30 November; and for what reasons such expenditure was incurred.

Stuart Bell: The cost of the Members' Personal Safety Seminar on Tuesday 26 October 2010 was £78.50; this covered the cost of the refreshments that were provided. It is not possible to project the costs for the next two seminars as we are awaiting confirmed attendance figures.

Tour Guides: Training

Greg Knight: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost of running training courses for tour guides for the Houses of Parliament was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stuart Bell: Following a detailed review of all aspects of visitor management at Parliament, an enhanced training and accreditation programme has been introduced as part of a package of measures designed to regularise and professionalise all aspects of guiding at Parliament. The programme provides refresher training for Parliament's pool of in-house guides, including updates on developments in both Houses, and training in the mechanics of guiding and managing groups. In order to recognise the expertise of the guides, on successful completion of the course guides will receive an accreditation from the Institute of Tourist Guiding.
	The cost of the training programme will depend on the final number of participants, but were all of the 80 guides currently registered on the in-house guide list to undertake the training, it would cost a maximum of £34,186. These are gross costs. The costs are shared between the Commons and the Lords on a 70:30 basis, so the cost to the House of Commons would be £23,930. The costs will be met from within the existing departmental budget. Once the initial round of training is complete, future annual costs are estimated to be £4,710.

DEFENCE

Civil Service Redeployment Pool

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence 
	(1)  staff based in  (a) the UK and  (b) Northern Ireland have been redeployed from the Civil Service redeployment pool in each of the last six months;
	(2)  how many Ministry of Defence staff based in  (a) the UK and  (b) Northern Ireland currently in the Civil Service redeployment pool have been in that position for more than six months;
	(3)  how many Ministry of Defence staff based in  (a) the UK and  (b) Northern Ireland are currently in the Civil Service redeployment pool.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) manages its surplus staff by using the Redeployment Pool (RDP). This service enables those who are or who will become surplus to be given priority consideration for vacancies. Staff in the RDP usually continue working in their last Directorate or are redeployed to cover short-term tasks. On average, staff spend six months in the RDP before finding a post or leaving the Department. The RDP is also used by staff returning from overseas postings, including civilians supporting the Armed Services in Operational Theatres. The MOD is currently subject to a freeze on external recruitment and the RDP helps us to fill vacancies from within existing staff resources.
	Data on the RDP is collected on a quarterly basis by Defence Analytical Services and Advice. The latest available data is as at 1 July 2010 and shows that on that date the numbers of staff in the RDP were:
	
		
			  Government Office Region  July 2010 
			 Other UK 1,105 
			 Northern Ireland 75 
		
	
	As at 1 July, the numbers of Civil Servants who had been in the RDP for more than six months were:
	
		
			  Government Office Region  July 2010 
			 Other UK 215 
			 Northern Ireland 5 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of staff who left the RDP in the six months prior to July 2010 in headcount terms, broken down into Northern Ireland and remaining areas of the UK with a monthly profile indicating whether they exited the RDP to another post within the MOD, or left the MOD as a whole.
	
		
			   Date of  f low 
			   January 2010  February 2010  March 2010  April 2010  May 2010  June 2010 
			  Government Office Region   
			  Other UK 75 160 315 185 145 200 
			 Remained in MOD on leaving RDP 55 145 205 165 130 180 
			 Exited MOD on leaving RDP 25 15 110 20 15 20 
			  Northern Ireland - 5 5 - - - 
			 Remained in MOD on leaving RDP - - 5 5 - - 
			 Exited MOD on leaving RDP - - - - - - 
			 (1). Denotes figures less than five.  Notes: 1. Totals exclude 75 personnel based in overseas posts or whose location is unrecorded. 2. Totals have been individually rounded to the nearest five, and may not sum precisely to overall totals. 3. Data are based on redeployment pool strengths as taken from the MOD Human Resources Management System (HRMS) on the first working day of each month.

Armed Forces

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure he expects his Department to incur on the Armed Forces Covenant Task Force in the first 12 months of its operation.

Andrew Robathan: The Armed Forces Covenant Task Force was set up for a short period of time, starting in July 2010, under the direction of the Cabinet Office.
	Two Ministry of Defence Civil Servants were seconded to the taskforce. Other than some small items incurred on travel and subsistence while undertaking focus groups, there was no additional expenditure associated with this work.

Armed Forces: Accommodation

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the different approach is that he intends to take on the provision of armed forces accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: We are undertaking a detailed review of our approach to accommodation as part of the work in developing the new employment model.
	Consideration will be given to a number of options, with the intention of providing a range of flexible options to service personnel and their families.

Armed Forces: Anniversaries

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions his Department has issued to Royal Navy vessels on the celebration of Trafalgar Day.

Peter Luff: No instructions were issued by Navy Command Head Quarters for the celebration of Trafalgar Day.

Armed Forces: Closures

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which regional brigade headquarters he plans to close following the recommendations of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Nick Harvey: As stated in the White Paper on the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Army will significantly reduce its non-deployable administrative structure in order to enhance its focus on front-line capabilities. The current four regional divisional headquarters will be replaced with a single UK Support Command and at least two regional brigade headquarters will close.
	A project team has been established to examine and rationalise the Army's non-deployable regional administrative structure. This team will continue the detailed work of identifying which regional brigade headquarters may close.

Armed Forces: Conditions of Employment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanism he plans to use to make the career structure, pay and allowances and accommodation of the armed forces  (a) simpler to administer,  (b) more cost effective, (c) provide greater choice and  (d) encourage greater personal responsibility.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence will take forward this work in the armed forces new employment model (NEM). The NEM is currently in the concept development phase and we are examining how we might adjust terms and conditions of service in order to balance the expectations of service personnel with the demands placed upon them. The aim is to promote greater stability in service life while continuing to compensate for mobility.

Armed Forces: Higher Education

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the likely cost to the public purse of funding university education for ex-service personnel in each of the next five years.

David Willetts: I have been asked to reply.
	No decisions have yet been taken about the level of funding over the next five years of the scheme to fund university education for service leavers.
	We have agreed to co-fund the scheme in 2009-10 and 2010-11 and we are planning to contribute to an enhanced scheme in the future.

Armed Forces: Tower Hamlets

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of serving members of the armed forces who  (a) are normally resident in and  (b) were born in Bethnal Green and Bow constituency.

Andrew Robathan: Residential address information for serving personnel is not held with reference to parliamentary constituency and there are questions over the accuracy and completeness of what is held, as the information is maintained by the individual service person. Birth address in not recorded on the Joint Personnel Administration system.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what savings he expects to accrue to his Department from a reduction in Challenger 2 capability of 40 per cent;
	(2)  what savings he expects to accrue to his Department as a result of reducing the AS90 armoured artillery capability by 35 per cent.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence made estimates of the cost savings accrued from measures in the Strategic Defence and Security Review for the purposes of formulating policy. Some of these have been published to help inform the public debate. Release of further detail may prejudice the Department's negotiating position with its commercial suppliers. Furthermore, final savings figures will depend on detailed implementation, which will generally be subject to full consultation with all relevant parties, including the trades unions and the devolved administrations. I am therefore not able to release more detailed figures at this time.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Mastiff,  (b) Ridgback and  (c) Husky vehicles were in service in Afghanistan (i) in March 2010 and (ii) in October 2010.

Nick Harvey: We do not comment on the number of vehicles deployed in Afghanistan. I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the in-service date is for the Future Rapid Effect System Utility Vehicle.

Peter Luff: The Future Rapid Effect System has been recast from a single programme into a set of constituent programmes: comprising a specialist vehicle, a utility vehicle and a manoeuvre support vehicle.
	The total estimated costs and the in-service dates for each vehicle cannot be confirmed until their respective main investment decisions are made. The timing of these decisions will now be reviewed following the publication of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Army: Training

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of his proposals for increasing simulation training in the army in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12 and  (c) 2012-13.

Nick Harvey: Implementation of the strategic defence and security review will begin this autumn and continue into 2011, using the planning round processes and the work of the Defence Reform Unit. Measures to increase simulation training in the Army will be considered and costed as part of this process. Detailed costing has not yet been carried out and the information requested is therefore not currently available.

Chinook Helicopters

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the in-service date is for the 12 Chinook helicopters on order;
	(2)  what cost savings he expects to accrue to his Department as a result of reducing the order for Chinook helicopters from 22 to 12.

Peter Luff: An order for 22 Chinook helicopters was never placed. The in-service date and cost of the 12 Chinook helicopters which we are now looking to buy will be determined at the project's Main Gate, the timing of which is subject to the ongoing planning round.

Defence Equipment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rationalisation in equipment holdings he plans to make other than those set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Peter Luff: The National Security Strategy set out Britain's role in the world, the risks to our security and their implication for the UK. The complementary strategic defence and security review (SDSR) set out the capabilities required to deliver the National Security Strategy aspirations in this area by the 2020s.
	Accordingly, the SDSR announced reductions in certain types of capabilities. There may be further rationalisation of equipment and stocks as we progress, including as a result of a revised methodology for determining equipment fleet sizes in the Army and to meet the new Defence Planning Assumptions (as outlined in the SDSR White Paper). The detail of this is, however, is still to be worked through.

Defence Equipment: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) aircraft,  (b) helicopters,  (c) armoured vehicles,  (d) main battle tanks,  (e) armoured reconnaissance vehicles,  (f) transport aircraft,  (g) conventional naval vessels,  (h) submarines and  (i) field artillery are permanently based in Scotland in respect of each (i) equipment type and (ii) location.

Peter Luff: The information requested is set out in the following table, which is accurate as of 26 October 2010.
	
		
			   Equipment type  Location  Permanently based (number) 
			 Aircraft Typhoon RAF Leuchars 7 
			  Tornado F3 RAF Leuchars 14 
			  Tornado GR4 RAF Lossiemouth 45 
			 
			 Helicopters Sea King MK3/3a RAF Lossiemouth 2 
			  Sea King MK5 HMS Gannet 3 
			 
			 Armoured vehicles Snatch Faslane 5 
			  Snatch Coulport 12 
			 
			 Main battle tanks - - - 
			 
			 Armoured reconnaissance vehicles - - - 
			 
			 Transport aircraft - - - 
			 
			 Conventional naval vessels Sandown Class Mine Counter Measure HMNB Clyde 8 
			  P2000 Patrol Craft HMNB Clyde 2 
			 
			 Submarines Swiftsure Class HMNB Clyde 1 
			  Vanguard Class HMNB Clyde 4 
			  Astute Class HMNB Clyde 1 
			 
			 Field Artillery Light Gun 7 Cdo RA, Arbroath 6 
			  Light Gun 105 Regt RA (V) Edinburgh (1)13 
			 (1) 6 Light Guns are used for ceremonial purposes.

Defence Support Group

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he plans to proceed with the sale of Defence Support Group.

Peter Luff: The Government intend to sell the Defence Support Group through an arrangement that continues to provide the Ministry of Defence with the levels of service support it requires while delivering best value for money. The project implementation plan is being developed. I will write to the hon. Member when this is complete.

Defence Support Group

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for future ownership of the defence support group.

Peter Luff: As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review and spending review publications of 19 and 20 October, the Government intend to take forward the sale of the Defence Support Group.

Defence: Expenditure

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to reduce his Department's expenditure on  (a) food,  (b) energy and  (c) professional services.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has yet to finalise its plans to reduce expenditure in these areas. Release of detailed information at this stage may prejudice the MOD's negotiating position with its commercial suppliers.
	MOD is co-operating fully with the Cabinet Office led initiative to centralise commodity procurement for Government Departments. This work is expected to deliver significant efficiencies.

Defence: Industry

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what plans he has to consult representatives of  (a) industry and  (b) academia before publishing his Department's White Paper on defence industrial policy;
	(2)  what plans he has to consult representatives of  (a) industry and  (b) academia before publishing his Department's Green Paper on defence industrial policy.

Peter Luff: We intend to publish a Green Paper on our defence industrial and technology policy by the end of the year. There will then be a formal consultation period in the new year, during which all interested parties will have an opportunity to comment. We will subsequently bring forward a White Paper in spring 2011.

Departmental Allowances

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes to  (a) service and  (b) civilian personnel allowances he plans to make in the period to 2014-15.

Andrew Robathan: The final shape of the package will depend on further work, which will be subject to full consultation with relevant parties, including the trades unions.

European Fighter Aircraft: Guided Weapons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many successful tests of the Paveway IV bomb on the Typhoon F2 have been conducted.

Peter Luff: A programme to integrate Paveway IV on to Typhoon will culminate in full tests to deliver the capability in 2012. To date, 14 preliminary compatibility trials have been undertaken.

European Fighter Aircraft: Guided Weapons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Typhoon F2 has successfully used the  (a) air launched anti-radiation missile,  (b) brimstone missile,  (c) Stormshadow missile,  (d) Harpoon AGM-84 D,  (e) Sting Ray missile,  (f) general purpose bomb,  (g) CRV-7 rockets and  (h) Enhanced Paveway bomb in (i) combat and (ii) testing and training.

Peter Luff: Typhoon Tranche 1 aircraft are equipped with the 10001b general purpose bomb, 10001b Paveway II and Enhanced Paveway II guided munitions; these Typhoon capabilities have been used in training but not in combat. A programme to integrate the Paveway IV bomb onto Tranches 2 and 3 aircraft from 2012 is also under way.
	Typhoon is not currently equipped to use any of the other weapons listed. The optimum weapon system solution, in light of Strategic Defence and Security Review decisions, is being evaluated. However, this will not include the Harpoon AGM-84 D anti-ship missile, which was taken out of service in 2004.

Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what alternatives to the private finance initiative his Department considered as means of funding the future strategic tanker aircraft; and what the estimated cost of each such alternative was.

Peter Luff: The future strategic tanker aircraft requirement was tested against a private finance initiative (PFI) solution and a public sector comparator (PSC) throughout the approval process. It was also assessed against a fallback option involving a mix of second hand Airbus A3 30 and converted A400M aircraft. The precise cost comparisons were dependent on the scenarios tested, but in the majority of these scenarios the PFI solution was judged to be more cost effective when appropriate risk provision and full operating costs were taken into account.

Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the future strategic tanker aircraft will be deployed in high threat environments; what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the public purse of equipping the aircraft with platform protection measures; and what estimate he has made of the time required to modify the aircraft to include platform protection measures.

Peter Luff: No decisions have been made on whether the future strategic tanker aircraft will be required to deploy into high threat environments in its passenger carrying role and whether additional protection measures would be required. As options are being considered as part of the Department's planning round, it would be inappropriate to comment on costs or timescales at this stage.

Military Campaigns

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to recognise veterans of military campaigns since 1939 who have not previously received campaign medals.

Andrew Robathan: Veterans who took part in campaigns since 1939 for which a medal was instituted should have received that medal if they met the required qualifying criteria. Beyond recognised campaigns, we have no plans to institute a medal simply for service in the armed forces as this is recognised by the Veterans Badge. However, we are committed to review the awarding of medals and it is in our programme for government.

Military Decorations

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made in his review of the rules governing the awarding of military medals; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave on 20 October 2010,  Official Report, column 747W, to the hon. Member for New Forest East (Dr Lewis).

Navy

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability programme; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The requirement for the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) programme is driven by the logistic support needs of the future Navy; these are being assessed following the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.
	An international competition is underway for the MARS Tanker. The future MARS ships to deliver solid support remain uncommitted at this stage. It is too early to provide any details of how this capability is to be taken forward, and the requirement is being assessed against the scope and duration of future planned operations.

Nuclear Submarines: Accidents

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many collisions involving a UK nuclear-powered submarine and  (a) another submarine,  (b) another naval vessel,  (c) a private vessel and  (d) a merchant vessel there have been since 1979; and how many grounding incidents involving UK nuclear-powered submarines there have been since 2008.

Peter Luff: The full list of incidents of collisions and groundings involving Royal Navy nuclear powered submarines for which the Royal Navy holds records is as follows:
	HMS Astute grounded off the Isle of Skye in October 2010.
	HMS Torbay grounded in the Eastern Mediterranean in April 2009.
	HMS Vanguard collided with FS Le Triomphant in February 2009.
	HMS Superb grounded in the Red Sea in May 2008.
	HMS Tireless struck an iceberg while on Arctic Patrol in May 2003.
	HMS Trafalgar grounded on Fladda-chuain in November 2002.
	HMS Triumph grounded in November 2000.
	HMS Victorious grounded, while surfaced, on Skelmorlie Bank in November 2000.
	HMS Trenchant grounded off the coast of Australia in July 1997.
	HMS Repulse grounded in the North Channel in July 1996.
	HMS Trafalgar grounded off the Isle of Skye in July 1996.
	HMS Valliant grounded in the North Norwegian Sea in March 1991.
	HMS Trenchant snagged the fishing vessel Antares in the Arran Trench in November 1990.
	HMS Spartan grounded west of Scotland in October 1989.
	HMS Sceptre snagged the fishing vessel Scotia in November 1989.
	HMS Conqueror collided with the yacht Dalriada off the Northern Irish coast in July 1988.

Nuclear Submarines: Training

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training is provided to submarine commanders in  (a) collision avoidance and  (b) groundings.

Peter Luff: Submarine Commanding Officers complete a comprehensive series of inter-related, increasingly complex and demanding career courses. At each stage, ability is assessed and tested and the avoidance of collisions and grounding form an integral part of the immersive learning process required to command an extremely testing platform.

Puma Helicopters

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of extending the life of the Puma helicopter; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The programme to extend the life of the Puma helicopter agreed by the previous Administration (Puma HC Mk2 project) remains within its approval level of £339 million and is progressing well. As with other battlefield support helicopters, we are also enhancing Puma's capabilities to match the threat environment. The Strategic Defence and Security Review has confirmed the ongoing need for Puma.

RAF Lossiemouth: Joint Combat Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure his Department had incurred to locate the Joint Combat Aircraft at RAF Lossiemouth on the latest date for which figures are available.

Peter Luff: holding answer 1 November 2010
	Prior to the Strategic Defence and Security Review, expenditure directly attributed to basing Joint Combat Aircraft at RAF Lossiemouth amounted to some £1.3 million. This work was to determine the detailed infrastructure requirements and estimated capital costs for the project, but there has been no expenditure on building or infrastructure work.

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce his decision on the Search and Rescue contract under the Private Finance Initiative.

Peter Luff: On 17 June the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced a review of the approval of the Search and Rescue Helicopter project in the context of the wider pressures on public spending. As soon as this review is complete an announcement will be made.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of the cancellation of contracts announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Peter Luff: holding answer 28 October 2010
	As part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review implementation process, we are now engaging in an extensive programme of commercial negotiations, some of which will lead to the cancellation of contracts. This work will focus on the areas where there have been the most significant changes in the SDSR, but is expected to involve all of the Ministry of Defence's key suppliers. Until these negotiations are complete it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the likely impact on personnel employed on any of the programmes affected.

Type 26 Frigates

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Type 26 frigates he plans to order in the next three years.

Peter Luff: holding answer 1 November 2010
	The assessment phase for the Type 26 Global Combat Ship is not expected to conclude until late 2013, after which the main investment decision will be made and an initial order will be placed.

Sentinel

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what methodology he used to reach his decision on the future of the Sentinel programme after its role in theatre is complete.

Peter Luff: The decision on Sentinel reflected an assessment of the range of surveillance capabilities currently available to the armed forces, the extent to which their outputs could be delivered by other means, including planned future capabilities, and the requirements of the new planning assumptions.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times a grant of asylum has been  (a) revoked and  (b) not renewed under paragraph 339 A of the Immigration Rules in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: holding answer 28 October 2010
	The number of times an asylum grant has been revoked under paragraph 339A of the Immigration Rules in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  Decision year  No. of cases 
			 2005 7 
			 2006 11 
			 2007 9 
			 2008 16 
			 2009 17 
		
	
	There have been no refusals to renew an asylum grant under paragraph 339A of the Immigration Rules since the process came into place in August 2010.

Borders: Personal Records

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what amendments will be required to her Department's e-Borders programme to take account of the European Commission decision of 17 December 2009 on minimum data requirements;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the likely effect on the cost of the e-Borders programme of the implementation of the European Commission Decision of 17 December 2009 on minimum data requirements;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the likely effects on the operation of her Department's e-Borders programme of the implementation of the European Commission Decision of 17 December 2009 on minimum data requirements;
	(4)  if she will estimate the number and percentage of passengers travelling into or out of the UK who are likely to exercise their right to opt out of producing advanced passenger information to the e-Borders programme as a result of the decision of the European Commission Decision of 17 December 2009 on minimum data requirements;
	(5)  what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of adapting  (a) air carrier industry systems and  (b) her Department's e-Borders system to ensure that they are compliant with the provisions of the European Commission Decision of 17 December 2009 on minimum data requirements.

Damian Green: The European Commission wrote to the UK on 17 December 2009 giving its opinion on the complaint raised by the British Chamber of Shipping and their French counterparts regarding e-Borders compatibility with EU law on free movement and data protection. In respect of data protection, the European Commission agreed that it is legal for carriers to collect Advance Passenger Information on EU routes and for this to be transmitted to the UK, subject to the approval of each member state's data protection authority.
	Since the December 2009 letter, UK and Commission officials have also been working together to reach a mutual understanding of how e- Borders operates in a way that strengthens the security of the UK and the EU more broadly but does not have an impact on free movement. Discussions with the Commission on this issue are close to being concluded but we await final written confirmation of the Commission's position, which we expect to have before the end of the year.
	Once those discussions are complete, (and we have fully explored any implications with the industry) we will then be in a position to assess fully whether there will be any impact on the operation or costs of the e-Borders programme.

Crime: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the crime detection rate was in respect of each basic command unit of Hertfordshire Constabulary in each of the last five years.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is given in the table.
	Detection rates are a ratio of crimes detected in a period to crimes recorded in a period. They are not based on tracking whether individual crimes recorded in a period have eventually been detected. From 1 April 2007 the rules governing recording of non-sanction detections were revised to reduce the scope within which they can be claimed to a very small limited set of circumstances. This has significantly reduced the number of non-sanction detections which has been reflected in the overall detection rates.
	
		
			  Detection rates for Basic Command Units in Hertfordshire 
			  Basic Command Unit  Period  Total detection rate  Sanction detection rate 
			 Hertfordshire Central 2005-06 26 21 
			  2006-07 28 27 
			  2007-08 29 29 
			  2008-09 33 33 
			  2009-10 38 38 
			 
			 Hertfordshire Eastern 2005-06 26 22 
			  2006-07 30 30 
			  2007-08 30 30 
			  2008-09 34 34 
			  2009-10 35 35 
			 
			 Hertfordshire Western 2005-06 26 24 
			  2006-07 29 29 
			  2007-08 29 29 
			  2008-09 32 32 
			  2009-10 32 32

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department have been  (a) subject to disciplinary action,  (b) removed from post,  (c) transferred to another position and  (d) dismissed for matters relating to their (i) disciplinary record and (ii) performance in each year since 1997.

Nick Herbert: Information prior to 2005-06, and on the number of officials removed from post or transferred to another position, is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	The following table sets out information held centrally in the Home Office (excluding its agencies) on formal misconduct action taken against staff in relation to their disciplinary record in each full financial year since 2005-06.
	
		
			  Formal misconduct action within Home Office HQ 
			  Number 
			   Officials subject to misconduct action( 1)  Officials dismissed for misconduct 
			 2005-06 6 (2)- 
			 2006-07 9 5 
			 2007-08 12 6 
			 2008-09 7 (2)- 
			 2009-10 15 5 
			 (1) Where an official was subject to misconduct action on more than one occasion within the same year they have been counted once within that year. (2) Where fewer than five members of staff were dismissed further information is withheld on confidentiality grounds. 
		
	
	We are unable to provide information on the number of officials subject to disciplinary action or dismissed in relation to their performance.

Departmental Sick Leave

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how many days on average her Department's staff in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in 2009-10.

Nick Herbert: The average working days lost (per staff year) to sickness absence for each pay grade in the Home Department in the financial year 2009-10 alongside the number of staff employed in each grade are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Working days lost to sickness absence by pay grade for the Home Department for financial year 2009-10 
			  Pay grade  Average working days lost per staff year (days)  Staff employed in period (headcount FTE) 
			 AA 8.94 91.48 
			 AO 8.23 391.23 
			 EO 7.42 606.24 
			 HEO 6.31 626.43 
			 SEO 5.11 604.78 
			 G7 3.81 560.17 
			 G6 2.4 277.30 
			 SCS 0.98 157.41 
			 Total 5.57 3,315.04 
			  Note: Data shown are for paid civil servants employed during the financial year 2009-10.  Source: Data View, the Home Office's single source of monthly Human Resources data  Extract date: 31 March 2010

Departmental Sick Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many days her Department has lost to staff sickness in each year since 1997; and what estimate she made of the cost to her Department of sickness absence in each such year;
	(2)  how many officials in her Department have had  (a) fewer than five days,  (b) five to 10 days,  (c) 10 to 15 days,  (d) 15 to 20 days,  (e) 20 to 25 days,  (f) 25 to 50 days,  (g) 50 to 75 days,  (h) 75 to 100 days,  (i) 100 to 150 days,  (j) 150 to 200 days,  (k) more than 200 days,  (l) more than three months,  (m) more than six months and  (n) one year on paid sick leave (i) consecutively and (ii) in total in each year since 1997.

Nick Herbert: Sick absence within the Home Office is reported using Cabinet Office standards and definitions, which were introduced with effect from 1 April 2007. The Home Office has also undergone a number of Machinery of Government changes over the period concerned, therefore we are only able to provide information from 2007. It is not possible to break down sickness absence into the 15 categories asked for over the period since 1997 as absence data are not recorded in this way and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Table 1 provides information for the Home Office headquarters on the number of days the Department has lost to staff sickness in each year since 2007 and an estimate of the cost of sickness absence in each year.
	Table 2 provides information for the Home Office headquarters the working days lost due to sick absence are shown as short and long-term absence durations since 2007 as per Cabinet Office Standards and Definitions.
	Long-term absences are periods of sickness which continue for more than 21 working days or 29 calendar days.
	
		
			  Table 1: Working days lost due to sick absence and cost of sick absence 
			   Working days lost (FTE)  Cost of sickness (£)  Staff employed in period (FTE) 
			 2007-08 20,685 n/a (1)2,920 
			 2008-09 15,024 2,192,087.21 (2)3,092 
			 2009-10 16,368 2,476,208.91 (2)3,315 
			 n/a = Not available  Note: Extract date: 31 March each year.  Sources: (1) Staff employed in period (FTE): Annual Civil Service Employment Survey 2008 (ACSES). (2) Staff employed in period (FTE): Permanent Secretaries Management Group (PSMG). WDLFTE: Permanent Secretaries Management Group (PSMG) taken from DataView. Cost of Sickness: DataView 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Working da ys lost (FTE) by short and long- term absences 
			   Working days lost (FTE)  
			   Short-term absence  Long-term absence  Staff employed in period (FTE) 
			 2007-08 9,172 11,513 (1)2,920 
			 2008-09 7,812 7,212 (2)3,092 
			 2009-10 8,814 7,554 (2)3,315 
			  Note: Extract date: 31 March each year.  Sources: (1) Staff employed in period (FTE): Annual Civil Service Employment Survey 2008 (ACSES). (2) Staff employed in period (FTE): Pernament Secretaries Management Group (PSMG). WDLFTE Permanent Secretaries Management Group (PSMG) taken from DataView. Cost of Sickness: DataView

Human Trafficking

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations her Department has received from other EU member states on human trafficking.

Damian Green: There have been no recent representations from other EU member states on human trafficking. We have, however, been engaged in ongoing negotiations with EU member states and the European Commission on the EU directive on human trafficking.
	The Government decided not to opt in to the directive at the outset, but to review the position once the directive has been agreed. We still have the option of applying to opt in at a later stage and engaging in ongoing negotiations will enable us to influence the final text of the directive, to ensure it is in our best interest.

Passport Office: Staff

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many staff were employed in  (a) each regional and  (b) other major passport office in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the resource cost was of each regional passport office in each of the last five years; and how much income each office generated in each such year;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of redundancy payments and other costs to her Department arising from the closure of Newport Regional Passport Office;
	(4)  what estimate she has made of the potential saving to the public purse arising from the closure of Newport Regional Passport Office.

Damian Green: To assess the affordability of the proposal we have modelled a possible cost for redundancy. The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) estimates this cost to be in the region of £3.4 million. This amount is only indicative at this time as the precise number of staff who will receive redundancy compensation cannot be estimated with complete certainty at this stage and compensation arrangements are subject to further discussion and parliamentary approval.
	We will seek to redeploy staff where possible, while meeting our need to reduce costs.
	The closure of the Newport Passport Processing Centre and establishment of a new Customer Service Centre in Newport are still subject to consultation and the final cost of doing so is still subject to review.
	IPS estimates that ceasing postal processing in the Newport Passport office in early 2012 will provide a net saving of £24 million by 2015. This is part of the wider £50 million of savings IPS intends to make over this period.

Police Custody: Illegal Immigrants

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she issues to police forces on the procedures to be followed on the release from police custody of suspected illegal immigrants who have been taken into custody following arrest for  (a) immigration and  (b) other offences.

Damian Green: Standard operating procedures are in place between the UK Border Agency and the police.
	The UK Border Agency will respond as a priority to requests for assistance from police officers who have arrested an individual they suspect to be an illegal immigrant (regardless of the offence for which they have been arrested), including where the individual in question is about to be released from their custody.
	Where necessary, UK Border Agency officers will attend police stations with a view to establishing the identity and circumstances of the individual and serving them with the appropriate paperwork, such as a form notifying them that they have entered the UK unlawfully.
	Subsequent actions vary depending on the nature of the case, but can include the individual being transported to and detained in an Immigration Removal Centre pending their removal, or being transported to the Asylum Screening Unit if they advise that they wish to make an asylum application (this also may result in their detention as part of the asylum determination process).
	As an example, between April and September 2010, the UK Border Agency's London and Southeast region received 286 such requests from the police forces within their area of responsibility; of these, 253 were attended by UK Border Agency officers and 232 individuals were arrested by them as a result.
	Please note, this information is taken from management information tools; it has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols and should be treated as provisional.

Police: Equipment

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment her Department has made of the merits of body-worn video and camera kit by police officers when gathering evidence; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The most recent formal assessment of the merits of body worn video was conducted in 2007 following a pilot of this technology by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. During the pilot the following key points were identified:
	Violent crime fell by 8% in the pilot sectors (1% elsewhere);
	More serious violence fell by 18% (no change elsewhere);
	There was an increase of 40% in the number of violent crimes detected;
	There was a reduction of 22% in officer time spent on paperwork and file preparation.
	The pilot also revealed further positive results. These included, making police officers more aware of how they interact with members of the public and negating a number of complaints against the police.

Police: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the implications for police forces covering rural areas of changes to her Department's policing budget; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The Spending Review reported on 20 October. Decisions on allocations, including to rural forces, will follow in early December when provisional policing settlements will be placed before the House.

Police: Operating Costs

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the operating costs of each police authority in England and Wales was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: The Government do not keep central records on the operating costs of police authorities. However, the Association of Police Authorities have set a benchmark of authorities' running costs of less than 0.75% of their budget, which amounts to £75 million (excluding the Metropolitan Police Service and the City of London) in England and Wales.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect on bus services in non-metropolitan urban communities of his proposed reductions in subsidy to bus operators;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on disabled passengers of his proposed reduction in Bus Service Operators Grant;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects of reductions in Bus Service Operators Grant on socially excluded groups; and whether his Department has carried out an equalities impact assessment in this respect;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the effect on bus fares of the reduction in Bus Service Operators Grant;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the proposed reduction in Bus Service Operator Grant on the number of bus services operated in  (a) rural communities,  (b) non-metropolitan urban communities and  (c) metropolitan areas with an integrated transport authority.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has carried out an equalities impact assessment in respect of the 20% reduction in Bus Service Operators Grant which will come into effect in 2012-13. Our assessment is that this level of reduction will have a low impact, overall, on socially excluded groups, including disabled passengers.
	We estimate that the potential average reductions in bus service mileage and increases in fares, as a direct result of the 20% reduction in Bus Service Operators Grant, in England outside London, could be:
	rural areas-fares increases and service mileage reductions of around 2%
	small towns-fares increases of around 1% and service mileage reductions of around 2%
	larger non-metropolitan conurbations-res increases and service mileage reductions of around 1%
	metropolitan areas-fares increases of around 2% and service mileage reductions of around 1%.
	However, I spoke to the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, who represent the bus industry, following the Chancellor's announcement on 20 October. They were hopeful that, in general, this level of reduction could be absorbed without fares having to rise. In practice, the impact will depend on the commercial decisions of bus operators and, where relevant, local authorities and TfL.

Crossrail

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what budget headings the savings on the Crossrail project under the proposals in the Comprehensive Spending Review will be made.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 26 October 2010
	Crossrail is funded under sponsors agreement, partly by the Department for Transport and partly by Transport for London. The spending review announcement confirms Government's joint commitment with the Mayor of London to delivering Crossrail in its entirety.
	Working with Crossrail Ltd and the Mayor, the Government have identified substantial savings of more than £1 billion to the Crossrail funding package, which includes the lengthening of the delivery programme for the central tunnel works by around a year.

Crossrail

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in which year he expects the Crossrail line to open.

Theresa Villiers: Under the revised programme for the construction of the central tunnels, we expect that phased introduction of Crossrail services will commence from 2018.

Cycling

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of progress in his Department's Traffic Signs Review in relation to cycling; and when he expects the review to be completed.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport is making good progress with the Traffic Signs Policy Review and the delivery of its action plan, including the requirement to consider the needs of cyclists which is an important aspect of the review. The review will be completed early next year.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on overseas visits for senior officials in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not record travel costs for senior officials separately. The information relating exclusively to senior officials could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Quarterly details of expenses and hospitality, including travel costs, for directors general and above are published on the Department's website:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/howthedftworks/costs/

Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what savings to the public purse he expects to result from the ending of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.

Norman Baker: The motivation behind the decision to end the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee is not a financial one. In respect of the financial consequences, I cannot determine possible savings until successor arrangements have been finalised. We have committed to consult on successor arrangements.

Inland Waterways: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding he plans to provide to support inland water-borne transport infrastructure in urban areas in the period of the Comprehensive Spending Review; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: Support for inland waterborne transport infrastructure, such as wharves and jetties, has previously been funded through the Department's Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) scheme. The budget for this capital scheme and the Department's other capital programmes are currently under review following the settlement agreed in the Comprehensive Spending Review. It is therefore not possible at this stage to provide detailed information on future levels of funding. Further details will be made public shortly.

Insurance

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to lay before Parliament regulations providing for continuous insurance enforcement; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The regulatory proposals are being considered by the coalition Government's Reducing Regulation Cabinet Subcommittee and we aim to lay regulations in November.

Local Government Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with local authority representatives on the future of funding of major local authority schemes.

Norman Baker: On 10 June 2010 the Department for Transport issued a statement suspending the previous guidance for local authority major schemes and associated processes until the conclusion of the spending review. In the statement we strongly discouraged local authorities from progressing work on schemes until the funding position was clear. Therefore meetings with local authority representatives has been limited.
	Having now published plans for the investment and prioritisation of major schemes on 26 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 177-179, the Department will now work closely with local authorities as part of this process and Ministers will be happy to consider requests for meetings as appropriate.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duty

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles first registered before January 1973 were exempt from vehicle excise duty in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: As at 22 August 2010 there were 302,308 licensed vehicles that were registered before January 1973 which were exempt from vehicle excise duty.

Pilots' National Pension Fund

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received recent representations on the Pilots' National Pension Fund.

Michael Penning: I am aware of the deficit faced by the Pilots' National Pension Fund and the recent High Court judgment which clarified the trustees' powers to seek payments to address the deficit from Competent Harbour Authorities. I have received a number of written representations from the port associations and from individual ports.
	I understand that the Association of Participating Bodies for the (PNPF) will be seeking early discussions with the trustees in order to try to work out an industry-based solution without Government involvement.

Public Expenditure

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mechanisms are in place to ensure that his Department's decisions on regional funding allocations are based on the most recent available population data.

Norman Baker: The regional funding allocation (RFA) process has been abolished along with the regional layer of planning. The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 26 October 2010,  Official Report column 177-79 his decisions on the inherited programme of RFA schemes.

Railways: Cycling

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the implementation of his Department's proposals for cycle hubs at railway stations.

Theresa Villiers: A new cycle hub facility officially opened at Leeds station on 27 September. This 'CyclePoint' is based on a Dutch design and incorporates cycle storage, hire, retail and repair facilities under one roof.
	The Government recognise the importance of cycle and rail integration and is committed to promoting cycling and walking and encouraging greener travel. We propose to grant longer rail franchises in order to give train operators the incentive to invest in the improvements passengers want, including better cycle facilities at stations. We acknowledge the importance of investing in station improvements and are committed to facilitating this investment through reforms to the way the railways are run.

Railways: Fares

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria his Department uses to determine which rail fares are regulated; when those criteria were last reviewed; and whether he plans to review them again before the award of new rail franchises.

Theresa Villiers: Rail fare increases are regulated through provisions in Franchise Agreements.
	There are two sorts of fares regulation: Commuter Fares Regulation covers commuter fares around London and other big cities and Protected Fares Regulation covers weekly season tickets and long-distance Off-Peak Return tickets (formerly known as Saver Return tickets) outside these areas.
	The current fares regulation system was introduced in 2003 and we will be reviewing ticketing arrangements more generally next year although the level of regulated fares (moving to RPI+3% from 2012 for three years) was announced as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Redundancy

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria were used to determine which civil servants or groups of civil servants should be granted voluntary exit from his Department in 2010; who took the decisions based on those criteria; and whether he approved those decisions.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has used three criteria in selecting staff for voluntary exit:
	Does the post require a formal qualification?
	Could the post be backfilled from within DfT?
	Does the exit provide value for money?
	A validation panel was established to consider to whom offers of a voluntary exit should be made, based on evidence from the application forms which were signed by senior members of the Department.
	The Secretary of State approved the making of offers within the criteria of the scheme and the financial business case submitted at the scheme's launch.

Roads: Accidents

Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on the number of road accidents of the introduction of daylight saving time throughout the year.

Michael Penning: An update of the 1998 TRL research, published 21 April 2009, suggests that an estimated net 80 deaths and 200 serious casualties per year would be avoided if single/double summer time was adopted (based on 2003-07 casualty levels). This takes into account the possible increase in casualties in darker winter mornings as well as the greater reductions expected in the lighter evenings, when more casualties occur. More recent estimates suggest the savings may currently be slightly lower-around 70 deaths and 190 serious casualties. This is due to the recent reductions in overall casualties.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funds he has allocated to highway improvements at Canford Bottom roundabout in Dorset; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: Funding for the design work has been allocated to the scheme this year (2010-11) and funds are expected to be made available to construct this small scheme in 2011-12.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has plans for central control of the supply of road grit to local authorities.

Norman Baker: It is for each local highway authority to set its winter service strategy, and to put arrangements in place to deliver that strategy. This includes the procurement of grit.
	Should severe weather lead to a potential shortage in salt supplies, the Salt Cell(1) would be initiated to provide guidance to suppliers. It would also co-ordinate the allocation and distribution of salt from the 250,000 tonnes of salt which is being held as a strategic reserve, as recommended by independent review of the resilience of England's transport systems (the Quarmby review). Such allocations will be based on information which the Department (again in response to the Quarmby review) has begun to collate from highway authorities on their own salt stock levels, both before and during the winter season, and anticipated usage. This information, together with intelligence on the ability of domestic salt suppliers to meet national demand and detailed weather forecasts, will allow the need for an advisory prioritisation process through the Salt Cell to be constantly monitored.
	(1) The Salt Cell was established during the last two winter seasons to collate salt stock and usage information from highway authorities and subsequently to provide detailed advice and guidance to UK salt suppliers as to how they may direct their limited supplies to prevent authorities running out of salt.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Institute for Fiscal Studies

Robert Halfon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much the Government Equalities Office has spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in the last 24 months.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office has spent £1,660 on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies over the past 24 months.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

City of London Police Overseas Anti-Corruption Programme

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has for the funding of the City of London Police Overseas Anti-Corruption programme after 2011.

Stephen O'Brien: The work of the City of London Police Overseas Anti-Corruption Unit is of interest to several Government Departments. Departments have collectively committed to ensure that funding will continue after 2011, as part of work to ensure effective implementation of the Bribery Act 2010. Details of how the unit will be funded are being agreed between departments as a result of the settlements in the Spending Review.

Health Portfolio Review

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he plans to publish his Department's 2009 health portfolio review.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) health portfolio review will be available by the end of November 2010 at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Gaza: International Assistance

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: The humanitarian situation in Gaza has stabilised but remains fragile. The volume and range of goods entering Gaza has increased since Israel eased access restrictions in June 2010, although United Nations agencies are reporting difficulties obtaining approval for reconstruction projects and the necessary materials. Approximately 75% of Gazans are dependent on food aid and cannot obtain materials needed to rebuild their homes. The water and sewage system is dilapidated, with 90% of mains water unfit for drinking. Many people continue to suffer from post-traumatic stress and other psychological disorders.

Sierra Leone

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects his Department has in Sierra Leone.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) bilateral aid programme in Sierra Leone focuses on improving access to health, water and other basic services, maintaining stability, and improving the effectiveness and accountability of the Government of Sierra Leone, moving the country away, over time, from aid dependency towards self-funded development. The DFID Bilateral Aid Review will ensure that we have a greater focus on results and ensure value for money, maximising the impact of every pound we spend.
	The Department's projects in health, water and sanitation is projected to deliver health care to up to half a million pregnant and nursing women and up to one million children in the coming year and provide access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation to two million people over the next three years. In addition the Department's projects in governance and security are designed to deliver an increase in public revenues over four years; ensure that Sierra Leoneans are treated quickly and fairly when they seek recourse to the law; and enable Sierra Leone to hold credible elections in 2012 and beyond.
	The full list of projects in Sierra Leone funded by the Department can be found on the departmental website at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma: Nuclear Fuels

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of  (a) uranium production in and  (b) uranium exports from Burma.

Jeremy Browne: The Government have not received any reports on uranium production or exportation from Burma. We are aware however of media reports earlier this year alleging that Burma is developing a covert military nuclear programme. We take such allegations seriously and have expressed our concerns to the Burmese regime. Burma must act in accordance with its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and all relevant UN Security Council resolutions and we urge Burma to amend its small quantities protocol as soon as possible. We will continue to monitor developments.

China: Fuels

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of China on fossil fuel subsidy reform.

Henry Bellingham: The issue of fossil fuel subsidy reform was discussed with the Government of China during the Group of Twenty summit in Toronto in June.

Colombia: Trade Unions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Colombia on its treatment of trade unionists and other members of civil society; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: I represented the UK at the inauguration of President Juan Manuel Santos in August. I took the opportunity of a private meeting with the President and several of his Ministers on 9 August to urge more progress on human rights. I was encouraged by the President's commitment to make human rights a "non-issue" in Colombia. We welcome this renewed commitment and we will work with his administration towards this common end.
	We will continue to raise our concerns regularly with senior Colombian Ministers, and to work with unions and employer organisations to strengthen labour relations in Colombia. We are working with the UN on a research initiative to help improve trade union human rights protection and the development of positive labour relations. With the EU and other partners, we will continue to encourage a stronger relationship between the Colombian Government and civil society.

European Parliament

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions there have been at Head of Government level on a single seat European Parliament.

David Lidington: There have been no formal discussions between Heads of Government at European Council on a single seat for the European Parliament. However I have raised this in bilateral discussions with ministerial counterparts in other EU member states, with the European Commission and the European Parliament and will continue to press for the European Parliament to have only one seat, in Brussels.

Hamas: Human Rights

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his UN counterparts on allegations of human rights abuses by members of Hamas in Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have regular dialogue with the UN regarding a number of human rights issues: this includes abuses carried out by members of Hamas.
	We continue to call on Hamas to make immediate and concrete steps towards the quartet principles-unconditionally to release Gilad Shalit, who has been held in captivity for over four years.

Kosovo: Serbia

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on progress in the Kosovo-Serbia talks.

David Lidington: In his public statement on 10 September, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary welcomed the consensus of the United Nations General Assembly in agreeing a resolution(1) responding to the International Court of Justice's Advisory Opinion (in which the court concluded that Kosovo's Declaration of Independence did not violate international law). In its resolution, the General Assembly welcomed the readiness of the European Union to facilitate a process of dialogue between the parties to "promote co-operation, achieve progress on the path to the European Union and improve the lives of the people". The Government strongly welcome the commitment of Belgrade and Pristina to constructive engagement in such a dialogue, which will be an important factor for peace, security and stability in the Western Balkans. We hope the dialogue will begin soon. We have made clear our support to Baroness Ashton and her team as they prepare for it. We will stay in close touch with Baroness Ashton and EU partners as the preparations progress.
	(1) UNGA resolution 64/298 of 9 September 2010

Russia: Fuels

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of the Russian Federation on fossil fuel subsidy reform.

Henry Bellingham: The issue of fossil fuel subsidy reform was discussed with the government of the Russian Federation during the G20 Summit in Toronto in June.

Somalia: Peacekeeping Operations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the  (a) strength of the African Union peace-keeping force in Somalia and  (b) the number of countries contributing to that force; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) currently consists of approximately 7,200 troops from Uganda and Burundi. Its existing mandated strength is 8,000.
	AMISOM troops are working in extremely difficult conditions in Mogadishu and we greatly respect the professionalism, bravery and sacrifice of the Ugandan and Burundian forces. We will continue to contribute to the logistical costs of AMISOM through assessed contributions to the UN in addition to providing ad hoc support in terms of both equipment and training.

Uganda: Politics and Government

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 25-6W, on Uganda: politics and government, how many British nationals and dependents are living in Uganda; what contingency plans are in place to evacuate them in the event of outbreak of violence before or after the election; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: We have 250 British nationals registered with the British High Commission in Uganda, but estimate that between 3,000 and 4,000 British nationals reside in or are visiting Uganda at any one time. We maintain close contact with the British community through a network of Consular Wardens and via direct messaging with all British nationals registered with the High Commission.
	Our High Commission in Kampala holds a civil contingency plan, which is reviewed and tested at least annually. This plan includes our response to scenarios where there is a serious threat to the safety of British nationals, where in the worst cases we would urge British nationals to leave the country.

West Papua: Overseas Investment

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on financial support by UK companies for the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estates project in West Papua.

Jeremy Browne: We have not received and are not aware of any reports that suggest the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estates (MIFEE) project has received financial support from UK companies. Nevertheless we understand the potential impact of the MIFEE project on sustainable land use efforts and local communities in West Papua, and our ambassador has raised the project with the Government of Indonesia on a number of occasions.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Constituencies

Martin Vickers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his latest estimate is of the likely cost of completing the work to be undertaken by the Boundary Commission on constituency boundaries under the provisions of the Parliamentary Voting and Constituencies Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: We estimate that the total cost of the next boundary review in each part of the UK will be £11.2 million. This includes the costs of staffing, accommodation, IT, printing, production of maps, advertising and publishing the final reports. Under the terms of the legislation presently in force, (Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986), and on the basis of the duration of the fifth general review in each part of the UK, we estimate that a general boundary review would commence within the next three years in England and Scotland and the next five in Wales and Northern Ireland. The total cost of the fifth review in each part of the UK was £13.6 million.

Parliamentary Voting Systems and Constituencies Bill

Hywel Francis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the views of  (a) hon. Members elected for constituencies in Wales,  (b) the Welsh Assembly Government and  (c) civil society organisations in Wales on the provisions of the Parliamentary Voting Systems and Constituencies Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: I discussed the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill with hon. Members serving Welsh constituencies at a special meeting arranged by the Secretary of State for Wales in September. The Secretary of State for Wales has discussed the effects of the Bill in Wales with the First Minister for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government Cabinet. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales has discussed the proposals with representatives from a number of interested bodies in Wales, including the Boundary Commission for Wales, CBI Wales, the Wales TUC and the Wales Council for Voluntary Action.

CABINET OFFICE

Employment: Bexleyheath

David Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of working age people in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency are employed in the  (a) private and  (b) public sector.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated October 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of the working age people in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency are employed in the (a) private and (b) public sector. (19967)
	Since August 2010 labour market statistics are no longer based on a working age definition. These statistics are now based on people aged 16-64 years.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) preferred source of statistics for public sector employment is the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (QPSES) and external sources, however, figures from this source are not available for parliamentary constituencies.
	Alternatively public sector employment statistics for local areas can be calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey. Consequently, the classification of an individual's sector may differ from how they would be classified in QPSES statistics.
	According to APS figures, in the 12 month period April 2009 to March 2010, the proportion of the resident population aged 16-64 years of Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency employed in the private sector was 48 per cent and employed in the public sector was 21 per cent.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Employment: Oxfordshire

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of the working population of Oxford West and Abingdon constituency is employed in the  (a) public and  (b) private sector.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated October 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of the working population of Oxford West and Abingdon constituency is employed in the (a) public and (b) private sector. (21057)
	Based on the Annual Population Survey (APS), in the 12 month period April 2009 to March 2010, 63 per cent of the working population of the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency were estimated to be employed by the private sector, with the remaining 37 per cent employed in the public sector.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Foreign Nationals: Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Yemeni nationals were resident in the UK in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated October 2010:
	.
	The Office for National Statistics collects data on nationality as part of the Annual Population Survey (APS) which covers residents of the UK. The estimates for the number of Yemeni nationals for the calendar years of 2007 to 2009 are given in the table below. Please note that because these data are based on a sample survey, there is a degree of statistical uncertainty about these estimates, expressed as confidence intervals in the table.
	I am unable to provide an estimate for the calendar years of 2005 and 2006, because specific data was not collected by the APS for this nationality in these years.
	
		
			  Table 1: Estimated population resident in the United Kingdom, who have Yemeni nationality 2007 to 2009 
			  Thousand 
			   Yemeni nationality 
			   Estimate  CI+/- 
			 2007 5 3 
			 2008 10 4 
			 2009 14 5 
			 CI = Confidence Interval.  Source: Annual Population Survey (APS)/Labour Force Survey (LFS), ONS

Institute for Fiscal Studies: Expenditure

Robert Halfon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in the last 24 months.

Francis Maude: In the last two financial years for which audited accounts are available, the Cabinet Office has spent £8,792 with the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Teenage Pregnancy

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many girls aged under 16 years were recorded as becoming pregnant in each month between December 1984 and October 1985; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated October 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many aged under 16 years were recorded as becoming pregnant in each month between December 1984 and October 1985 (20252).
	Figures on conceptions are estimates based on the number of live births, stillbirths and legal abortions. They do not include miscarriages and illegal abortions. Prior to 1987, a woman's age at conception was calculated on a different basis and therefore it is not possible to accurately compare the level of conceptions prior to 1987 against levels in subsequent years.
	There were 9,406 conceptions to women aged under 16 years in England and Wales in 1985. Figures by month are not readily available, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Teenage Pregnancy

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many girls aged each year up to 16 years who  (a) are recorded as becoming pregnant,  (b) had an abortion,  (c) gave birth and gave the child up for adoption and  (d) gave birth and kept the child in each region between December 1984 and October 1985; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated October 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many girls aged each year up to 16 years who (a) are recorded as becoming pregnant, (b) had an abortion, (c) gave birth and gave the child up for adoption and (d) gave birth and kept the child in each region between December 1984 and October 1985 (20253).
	Figures on conceptions are estimates based on the number of live births, stillbirths and legal abortions. They do not include miscarriages and illegal abortions. Prior to 1987, a woman's age at conception was calculated on a different basis and therefore it is not possible to accurately compare the level of conceptions prior to 1987 against levels in subsequent years. As conceptions data files for 1984 and 1985 are archived, extracting this data to provide figures by for this specific time period could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	The table below provides (a) the number of conceptions among women aged under 16 years and (b) the rate of abortions per 1,000 women aged 13-15 years for standard regions in England and Wales for 1985. Figures by month are not readily available, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Figures for individual years of age cannot be provided at regional level in order to protect the privacy of individuals. Outcomes of pregnancies (kept or given up for adoption) are not available and adoption statistics are not published by age of birth mother.
	
		
			  Conceptions( 1)  to women aged under 16 years( 2)  by standard regions of England and Wales( 3) ,1985 
			   Number  Rates per 1,000 women aged 13-15 years 
			  Area of women ' s usual residence  Conceptions  Abortions 
			 England and Wales 9,406 4.8 
			
			 England 8,829 4.8 
			
			 Wales 577 4.3 
			
			  Standard Regions   
			 Northern 683 4.7 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 1,046 4.9 
			 East Midlands 848 5.1 
			 East Anglia 348 5.3 
			 South East 2,665 4.5 
			 South West 702 4.9 
			 West Midlands 1,184 6.0 
			 North West 1,353 4.5 
			 (1) Figures on conceptions are based on the number of live births, stillbirths and legal abortions. They do not include miscarriages and illegal abortions. (2) Age at estimated date of conception. (3) Women usually resident in England and Wales.

TREASURY

Capital Projects: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to encourage the use of municipal bonds to fund capital projects in local government; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: Local authorities are already free to use municipal bonds to finance capital investment. It is for local authorities to determine the most appropriate means of financing local capital projects.

Child Benefit

Angela Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the mother of a child will continue to be the primary recipient of child benefit.

David Gauke: In general the law does not specify which parent should claim and receive child benefit; it is a matter for the parents to decide.

Child Benefit: Dunbartonshire

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of households in West Dunbartonshire local authority area which will be affected by the proposed withdrawal of child benefit from families with a higher rate tax payer.

David Gauke: Information on household income for child benefit claimants is not available at parliamentary constituency level.

Corporation Tax

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual change in revenue to the Exchequer from UK banks as a result of recent reductions in the rate of corporation tax.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for St. Ives (Andrew George) on 26 July 2010,  Official Report, column 722W.

Corporation Tax: Third Sector

Paul Maynard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he expects to accrue to the Exchequer from corporation tax paid by  (a) social enterprises and  (b) community interest companies in 2010-11.

David Gauke: Information on the amount expected to accrue to the Exchequer from corporation tax paid by  (a) social enterprises and  (b) community interest companies in 2010-11 is not available.

New Businesses: South-East

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he took of the variations in levels of need in the South-East when developing his proposals for national insurance exemptions for new businesses.

David Gauke: holding answer 25 October 2010
	The employer National Insurance holiday for new businesses is intended to promote the formation of new businesses employing staff in those countries and regions most reliant on public sector employment.
	Within the regions excluded from the scheme there will be areas with high levels of public sector employment. However, targeting smaller areas such as local authority areas would not reflect that in practice labour markets span larger areas and a more granular scheme would be costly and complex to administer.

Public Expenditure

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the suggestions for savings made through his Department's Spending Challenge website he  (a) has implemented and  (b) plans to implement.

Danny Alexander: The responsibility for implementing ideas arising through the Spending Challenge rests with the relevant Government Department. A number of ideas that are now being implemented by Departments were announced alongside the spending review. These ideas are set out in full on the Spending Challenge webpage on the Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spend_spendingchallenge.htm
	As set out in the spending review document a number of the proposals Government received fed into larger reforms announced over the summer and alongside the spending review.
	Ideas received through the Spending Challenge will continue to play an important role in delivering more for less over the spending review period. Departments will continue to review ideas to identify and implement those that could help deliver further efficiencies.

Revenue and Customs

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effects on HM Revenue and Customs of the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

David Gauke: Analysis of HM Revenue and Customs' outcomes informed the Spending Review, including the decision to re-invest £900 million over the period to tackle tax avoidance, evasion, fraud and debt. This is expected to deliver an additional £7 billion in tax revenues by 2014-15.

Tax Avoidance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he plans to introduce to address tax avoidance.

David Gauke: This Government are committed to tackling avoidance and intends to build in sustainable defences against avoidance opportunities when undertaking policy reform and to review areas of the tax system in which repeated changes have been necessary to close loopholes. We are also considering whether there is a case for developing a general anti-avoidance rule (GAAR) for the UK.
	Alongside this we will continue to use intelligence obtained from the disclosure of tax avoidance schemes regime and other sources to detect avoidance schemes early and we will challenge avoidance robustly where we find it.

Tax Avoidance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to reduce the level of tax avoidance in respect of  (a) inheritance tax,  (b) capital gains tax,  (c) income tax,  (d) stamp duty and  (e) value added tax; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: This Government are committed to tackling avoidance and intends to build in sustainable defences against avoidance opportunities when undertaking policy reform and to review areas of the tax system in which repeated changes have been necessary to close loopholes. We are also considering whether there is a case for developing a general anti-avoidance rule (GAAR) for the UK.
	Alongside this we will continue to use intelligence obtained from the disclosure of tax avoidance schemes regime and other sources to detect avoidance schemes early and we will challenge avoidance robustly where we find it.

Taxation

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the law on independent taxation.

David Gauke: The Government keep all areas of the tax system under review, and will announce any changes to the personal tax system as appropriate.

VAT: Churches

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has discussed in the Council of Ministers any proposed reduction in the rate of value added tax applicable to church repairs in the UK;
	(2)  what representations he has received on reducing the rate of value added tax on church repairs;
	(3)  whether approval at EU level is required for any proposal to reduce the rate of value added tax applicable to church repairs in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The introduction of any new reduced VAT rates would require the agreement of our EU partners.
	There have been no discussions in the EU Council of Ministers on reduced rates of VAT since 2009.
	Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations about many issues from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of such representations.

Welfare Tax Credits: Payments

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit recipients  (a) had their payments revised between July 2009 and June 2010 owing to a change of circumstance,  (b) were consequently awarded a backdated payment for a period previously paid for and  (c) were subsequently required to repay the duplicated payment.

David Gauke: The specific information is available only at disproportionate cost.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions: Technology

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the funds allocated for development of low-carbon technologies in the comprehensive spending review he plans to allocate to offshore wind and manufacturing at port sites.

Charles Hendry: Up to £60 million will be made available to support offshore wind manufacturing infrastructure at port sites, to meet the needs of offshore wind manufacturers looking to locate new facilities in assisted areas in England. Announcements on support for other low-carbon technology programmes will be made in due course.

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding to meet staff redundancy costs was identified in his Department's settlement letter in respect of the comprehensive spending review.

Gregory Barker: No specific redundancy costs are identified in the Department's spending review settlement letter. DECC's settlement letter stated, that it will meet any redundancy costs required from within its settlement.

Energy: Imports

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) UK and  (b) EU energy imports which come from (a) the Russian Federation, (b) Central Asia and (c) the South Caucasus.

Charles Hendry: The proportion of UK and EU energy imports from the Russian Federation, Central Asia and South Caucasus in 2009 are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  UK import 
			  Percentage 
			   Oil  Coal  Gas  Total energy 
			 Russia 9 49 0 13 
			 Central Asia 0 0 0 0 
			 South Caucasus 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  EU import 
			  Percentage 
			   Oil  Coal  Gas  Total energy 
			 Russia 25 26 28 26 
			 Central Asia 3 0 0 2 
			 South Caucasus 3 0 0 2 
			  Notes:  In producing the above statistics: 1. Central Asia comprises of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. 2. South Caucasus comprises of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. 3. The EU percentage is based on OECD data which includes data from the largest EU member states and covers over 97% of EU GDP. 4. Some gas (far too low to quantify) from Russia might have reached the UK across the continental Europe via the Balgzand-Bacton (Netherland) and Bacton- Zeebrugge(Belgium) pipelines.

Energy: Prices

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department monitors the number of energy tariffs that change in a time shorter that the standard period in which a customer may complete a supplier switch.

Charles Hendry: DECC does not hold the information requested. In order to meet its principal duty, to protect the interests of consumers, Ofgem collects relevant information but I understand it does not have the specific data requested.

Energy: Prices

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with Ofgem on its steps to improve reporting and monitoring in respect of the wholesale retail link to domestic prices.

Charles Hendry: DECC officials meet with Ofgem on a regular basis to discuss market issues. Since 2008 Ofgem have also produced a quarterly report on the link between wholesale and retail energy prices, which would consider to be an adequate regularity.

Fossil Fuels: Subsidies

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2010,  Official Report, column 479W, on fossil fuels: subsidies, what definition of fossil fuel subsidies his Department uses.

Charles Hendry: There is no commonly accepted definition of fossil fuel subsidies and it may be appropriate to use different definitions depending on the context. In preparing the UK's response to the G20 Fossil Fuel subsidies initiative, we used the following definition:
	"A fossil-fuel subsidy is any government measure or program with the objective or direct consequence of reducing below world-market prices, including all costs of transport, refining and distribution, the effective cost for fossil fuels paid by final consumers, or of reducing the costs or increasing the revenues of fossil-fuel producing companies."
	A number of other G20 states also used this definition of fossil fuel subsidy.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence between Ministers and hon. Members on the diversity of liquid petroleum gas supplies.

Charles Hendry: In my earlier reply about what representations I had received on the diversity of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) supplies for domestic consumers of LPG on communal contracts, I answered that the Department had received four representations from hon. Members since August. In fact we had received four representations since July; I apologise for this error. Copies of the four letters, together with a follow up to one of them, will be placed in the House Libraries with personal details redacted.

Natural Gas: Storage

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent progress has been made on his Department's proposals for the gas storage capacity under the Irish Sea.

Charles Hendry: The two public proposals for gas storage facilities under the Eastern Irish sea-Gateway and Bains-are commercial projects, being taken forward by their respective backers. The forthcoming Energy Security and Green Economy Bill will include a provision to strengthen the market incentive mechanism for ensuring sufficient gas is available. This will help to underpin commercial demand for gas supply infrastructure, including gas storage facilities.

Nuclear Development Forum

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change who participated in the meeting of the Nuclear Development Forum on 28 October 2010; what the agenda was of that meeting; and what the cost to his Department was of hosting that meeting.

Charles Hendry: The Nuclear Development Forum held on 28 October 2010 was chaired by Charles Hendry. A copy of the attendee list and the agenda for the Nuclear Development Forum held on 28 October 2010 is available on the forum's website:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/uk_supply/energy_mix/nuclear/new/develop_forum/develop_forum.aspx
	All other papers submitted for information or discussion will be made available on the website very shortly.
	The estimated cost of hosting the Nuclear Development Forum on 28 October 2010 was £1,416.

Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 4.E.2 of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, Cm 7948, what unnecessary obstacles to investment in nuclear power he has identified.

Charles Hendry: The Government are committed to removing any unnecessary obstacles to investment in new nuclear and are undertaking a series of facilitative actions. These actions include:
	development of a Nuclear National Policy Statement, including a list of potentially suitable sites, to provide a framework for planning decisions;
	Regulatory Justification of new nuclear reactor designs;
	ensuring that the regulators have the ability to maintain the level of resource needed to deliver a meaningful end to Generic Design Assessment of new nuclear reactor designs; and
	finalising the arrangements to ensure that new nuclear operators set aside sufficient money from day one to pay for waste and decommissioning.
	The Government are also undertaking reform of the nuclear regulator to ensure it is fit for purpose going forwards, and working to ensure that there is a supply chain and skills base in place to enable new nuclear to happen and ensure that the UK benefits from this activity.

Nuclear Power: Carbon Emissions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the statement of 27 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 867-881, on the Annual Energy Statement, what assumptions his Department has made in respect of the quantities of carbon emissions arising from the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, milling, enrichment and fuel fabrication, in the model used in its calculator of potential energy pathways by 2050.

Charles Hendry: The 2050 pathways calculator presents a high-level framework through which to consider some of the choices and trade-offs which the UK will have to make in the over the next forty years. It shows that it is possible for us to meet the 80% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target in the UK in a range of ways.
	The 2050 pathways calculator takes as its starting point the actual UK emissions at 2007. Emissions originating from the overseas manufacture of products which the UK imports, such as uranium, are not included in the UK's 80% emissions reduction target for 2050 as defined in the Climate Change Act and consistent with international carbon reporting practice. These 'embedded emissions' are therefore also not included within the 2050 pathways analysis.
	The 2050 pathways calculator models a wide range of future scenarios from 2007 to 2050. Given the need to ensure that the functioning and content of the model is manageable, it has been necessary to keep it as simple as possible. The UK-based emissions from energy infrastructure, materials and processes (such as enrichment and fuel fabrication) are intended to be captured within the 'Industry' sector of the 2050 pathways calculator, and no explicit assumptions were made about emissions from the specific processes mentioned in the question.

Renewable Energy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the UK's electricity production he expects to be generated from renewable energy sources following achievement of the 15% renewables target.

Charles Hendry: It is estimated that around 30% of electricity will need to come from renewable sources in 2020 as part of the effort to achieve the UK's 15% renewable energy target.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons he decided against introducing a levy to pay for the renewable heat incentive.

Charles Hendry: The original proposal for the renewable heat incentive to be funded by a levy on suppliers of fossil fuel heat presented a number of practical problems and, as a result, was potentially costly to consumers, business and Government.
	We have reviewed the options available and, in making a decision, we have considered whether the funding mechanism is equitable, transparent and efficient, taking into account a cross section of views. We believe funding the renewable heat incentive through Government spending better fulfils those criteria than the levy proposed by the previous Government.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department made of the revenue likely to accrue from the levy proposed by the previous administration to pay for the renewable heat incentive.

Charles Hendry: Our powers according to the Energy Act are limited to funding the RHI expenditure so any levy would have had to be designed to meet these funding requirements.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the funding allocated for the renewable heat incentive will be disbursed in instalments of decreasing monetary value; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The spending review announced £860 million of investment for the renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme over the four year spending review period. Following this decision, we are currently finalising details of the RHI, including how the tariffs will be paid out, and we expect to be in a position to confirm these details shortly.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what measures will contribute to the proposed 20% saving on the estimated cost of the previous administration's plans for the renewable heat incentive to 2014-15.

Charles Hendry: As part of the spending review process we have looked again at the renewable heat incentive to target the scheme more effectively and efficiently. We expect to be in a position to announce the details of the scheme, including RHI tariffs, technologies supported, and details of how these 20% savings will be delivered, shortly.

Renewables Obligation: Parliamentary Scrutiny

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to establish a mechanism for parliamentary scrutiny of the administration of the renewables obligation.

Gregory Barker: The Electricity Act 1989 as amended by the Energy Act 2008 places a duty on Ofgem to administer the renewables obligation, requiring it to ensure compliance of, and make payments from the buyout fund to, those licensed suppliers upon whom the obligation falls.
	The accounting officer for the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority is accountable to Parliament for the actions of Ofgem. Parliament votes Ofgem's estimate, which includes appropriating in aid the renewables obligation administration costs. Through the estimates process and select committees, Parliament has the opportunity to scrutinise all of Ofgem's running costs, including the administration of the renewables obligation. Ofgem also publishes annual reports setting out details of its administration of the renewables obligation, these are publicly available and made available to Parliament.

UN Adaptation Fund

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent financial contribution his Department has made to the UN Adaptation Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: We welcome progress that the Adaptation Fund has made recently in approving its first projects and accrediting implementing entities. The UK has been supporting the design of the Adaptation Fund as an alternate board member, and we provided £500,000 in start-up funding in 2008.
	The UK has provided considerable support for adaptation this year through existing bilateral and multilateral channels including an allocation to the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR), which pilots and demonstrates ways in which climate risk and resilience may be integrated into core development planning and implementation.
	The spending review provides a total of £2.9 billion of international climate finance-called the International Climate Fund (ICF)-over the spending review period. We will be considering future allocations to multilateral funds consistent with Government priorities. This will include consideration of whether to make a contribution to the Adaptation Fund.

Warm Front Scheme

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of homes provided with energy efficiency measures under the Warm Front scheme since its inception which were  (a) privately rented,  (b) owned by a local authority or housing association,  (c) owned by a charity and  (d) owner-occupied.

Gregory Barker: The number of households Warm Front has assisted with energy efficiency measures since its inception divided by housing tenure is as follows:
	
		
			  Tenure  Number 
			 Owner occupied 1,829,299 
			 Private rented 240,305 
			 Rented from housing association or local authority (1)168,166 
			 Other 1,720 
			 Total (2)2,239,490 
			 (1) Since 2002 properties rented from housing association or local authority are not covered by the Warm Front scheme. (2) All data are presented as at 30 September 2010.

Warm Front Scheme

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households with children aged  (a) 0 to four and  (b) five to 16 years received assistance through Warm Front in each year since the scheme's inception; whether he has estimated the number of such households which were in receipt of housing benefit in each such year; and what estimate he has made of the number of households in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011 who will be assisted by Warm Front.

Gregory Barker: The information is as follows:
	(a) The number of households with children aged  (a) 0 to four and  (b) five to 16 years that have received assistance through Warm Front in each year since the scheme's inception is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			  Child age at application  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Child aged 0 to 4 years 6,059 22,063 21,339 16,255 12,725 17,963 
			 Child aged 5 to 16 years 9,218 27,301 26,411 20,581 16,507 26,469 
			 Total 15,277 49,364 47,750 36,836 29,232 44,432 
		
	
	
		
			  Number 
			  Child age at application  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11( 1)  Total 
			 Child aged 0 to 4 years 20,678 23,693 23,524 26,848 8,673 199,820 
			 Child aged 5 to 16 years 33,936 33,419 32,878 33,820 11,605 272,145 
			 Total 54,614 57,112 56,402 60,668 20,278 471,965 
			 (1) Up to 30 September 2010. 
		
	
	(b) The number of households with children in receipt of housing benefit in each year is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			  Child age at application  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11  Total( 1) 
			 Child aged 0 to 4 years 411 644 903 915 1,349 626 4,848 
			 Child aged 5 to 16 years 315 625 604 584 728 333 3,189 
			 Total 726 1,269 1,507 1,499 2,077 959 8,037 
			 (1) This information is only available post 2005. 
		
	
	(c) Eaga, as the Warm Front scheme manager, estimates that c.150,000 households will be assisted in 2010-11. Estimated data for 2011-12 are not currently available.

West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will require all members of the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership to  (a) submit to a publicly accessible register details of all (i) past and (ii) current interests that they have had with the nuclear industry and  (b) update the registered details on each occasion they change.

Charles Hendry: The Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) White Paper set out that once a community had expressed an interest in the geological disposal facility siting process, local Government should take the lead role in initiating further discussions with local partners and organising community engagement. As such, local authorities that have expressed an interest in west Cumbria have set up the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership as an advisory body to 'make recommendations to Allerdale borough council, Copeland borough council and Cumbria county council on whether they should participate in the geological disposal facility siting process, without commitment to eventually host a facility'. It will then be for those local authorities to take a decision on whether or not to participate further in the process.
	Government do not require a register of interests from the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership. It is for the local authorities who established this Partnership to satisfy themselves that it is appropriately constituted and that they are satisfied with the advice it ultimately provides them. Detailed information on the way the Partnership works including information on membership is available on their website at:
	http://www.westcumbriamrws.org.uk/
	Government will want in turn to be satisfied that any Decision to Participate is credible and would expect any decision to be accompanied by a report setting out the approach taken to engagement, the outcomes of that engagement and making clear the basis of the decision.

Wind Power

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what legal advice he received on compliance with state aid rules of his Department's port upgrade competition; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: Last week the Department made available up to £60 million to support offshore wind manufacturing infrastructure at port sites, to meet the needs of offshore wind manufacturers looking to locate new facilities in assisted areas in England.
	The Department regularly seeks legal advice on a variety of issues relating to developing and implementing policy and is entitled, as is any other person, to treat such advice as subject to legal professional privilege and hence confidential. It is not practice to reveal the nature of that advice, in order to prevent possible prejudice which may arise if privilege is waived or unnecessary challenges are prompted.

Wind Power: Noise

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effect of noise generated by the operation of (i) wind turbines and (ii) turbine blades.

Charles Hendry: DECC has recently commissioned a research project to analyse how noise impacts are considered in the determination of wind farm planning applications in England. The project, which is being carried out by Hayes McKenzie partnership, is due to be published in early 2011.
	A number of previous studies on noise from wind turbines have been commissioned by Government in recent years. In 2006 the then Department of Trade and Industry published a report carried out by Hayes McKenzie partnership into low frequency noise from wind turbines. Following on from this report, the then Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform commissioned Salford University to carry out further work in into phenomenon known as Aerodynamic Modulation (AM). AM, often described as blade swish, refers to aerodynamic noise from wind turbines, but with a greater than normal degree of regular fluctuation at blade passing frequency. This report was published in 2007.

EDUCATION

Academies: Thurrock

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools in Thurrock local education authority area have applied to become academies; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has been working with one school in the Thurrock local authority area which is judged to be outstanding by Ofsted and which has applied to convert to academy status-Ockendon School in Thurrock.

British Educational Communications and Technology Agency

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on the future of the National Virtual School developed by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency after the Agency is closed.

Nick Gibb: No representation to the Secretary of State has been made on the future of the National Virtual School to date.

Education and Employers Taskforce

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Education and Employers Taskforce since its inception.

Nick Gibb: The Education and Employers Taskforce was launched in October 2009. Its funding is granted on the basis of meeting rigorous and annually agreed objectives. No formal evaluation of the taskforce's effectiveness has been carried out. Some of the taskforce's activities include organising 'Visit Our Schools and Colleges' week, 18-22 October 2010, which will see senior figures from industry visiting schools and colleges to talk to head teachers and principals about their priorities; strengthening the evidence base about the impact of employer involvement with education and producing new guidance for teachers and employers. It has received employer contributions which auditors have valued at over £600,000.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has made an estimate of the number of  (a) girls and  (b) boys who received education maintenance allowance in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 13 October 2010
	This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Education: Assessments

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress his Department has made in the process of equivalence testing of examination courses and qualifications.

Nick Gibb: We are committed to reforming school performance tables to increase their rigour and ensure a focus on improving educational outcomes. As part of that reform, we are reviewing the use of equivalences in the performance tables and will be making more detailed announcements in the coming months.

Environment Protection: Curriculum

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what aspects of environmental understanding children will be expected to acquire by the age of  (a) 11,  (b) 14 and  (c) 16 years under his plans for the future of the school curriculum.

Nick Gibb: We are committed to restoring the national curriculum to its original purpose-a core entitlement based on subject knowledge. A slimmed down national curriculum will allow schools more freedom and time to build on that core entitlement to provide a rich educational experience for all their pupils and to continue to use their professional judgment to organise teaching as they see fit.
	We plan to consult a wide range of academics, teachers and other interested parties to ensure that our core curriculum can compare with those of the highest performing countries in the world. More details about our plans to review the curriculum will be announced later in the year.

Free School Meals: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in each constituency in North Wales received free school meals in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not hold the requested information for Wales. Information relating to Wales is available from the Welsh Assembly Government.

Free Schools

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the name is of each group or organisation which has applied to set up a free school.

Nick Gibb: The names of the first 16 free school proposals that have been approved to progress to the business case and plan stage can be found on the Department's website at
	http://www.education.gov.uk/news/news/wms-freeschoolsproposals
	As other proposals are approved to progress to the business case and plan stage their details will be published on the Department's website.

Higher Education

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support his Department plans to make available to schools seeking to become  (a) university technology colleges and  (b) technical academies.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 October 2010
	Technical academies are the same as the university technical colleges model which we have been developing with Lord Baker and the Baker Dearing Trust.
	My officials are working with the Baker Dearing Trust and sponsors helping to develop their proposals. Once proposals have been approved my officials will discuss with each sponsor the level of support required.

Higher Education: Sports

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools his Department initially designated as specialist sports colleges as a result of the most recent round of applications.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 October 2010
	 17 schools were initially designated as specialist sports colleges, and a further two schools were designated with a sports specialism in combination with another specialism, in the most recent round of applications.

Home Education

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on home education; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 October 2010
	The Government respect the right of parents to educate their children at home. We recognise that most home educating parents do a very good job, some of them picking up the pieces where their children have had problems at school.
	Our policy on home education is being considered and we will announce further details in due course. We will consider whether changes need to be made to the existing arrangements, given the strong views expressed by both home educators and local authorities.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 26 July and 26 August 2010 on Building Schools for the Future funding for the Billericay School and Mayflower School.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 11 October 2010
	 My noble Friend, Lord Hill of Oareford, replied on 29 September 2010.

Pupil Exclusions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of pupils subject to fixed-term exclusions in secondary schools with  (a) fewer than 800 pupils,  (b) 800 to 1,000 pupils and  (c) more than 1,000 pupils in each year since 2000.

Nick Gibb: The requested information for 2005/06 and 2008/09 is shown in the table.
	Data on fixed period exclusions was collected for the first time in 2003/04 via the Termly Exclusions Survey, and via the School Census from 2005/06. For consistency, data on fixed period exclusions has been provided for the earliest and the most recent year available using School Census data. To provide data for further years would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  State-funded secondary schools( 1,2) : number and proportion of pupil enrolments( 3)  with fixed period-exclusions by size of school( 4) 
			  In 2005/06 and 2008/09 in England 
			   Schools with fewer than 800 pupils( 4)  Schools with 800 to 1,000 pupils( 4)  Schools with over 1,000 pupils( 4) 
			   Number of enrolments with one or more fixed period exclusions  % of school population with one or more fixed period exclusions( 5)  Number of enrolments with one or more fixed period exclusions  % of school population with one or more fixed period exclusions( 5)  Number of enrolments with one or more fixed period exclusions  % of school population with one or more fixed period exclusions( 5) 
			 2005/06 42,070 6.64 41,530 6.31 108,330 5.28 
			 2008/09 40,060 6.08 37,590 5.76 90,250 4.61 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Pupil enrolments may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the year, or were registered at more than one school. (4) Headcount of solely registered pupils taken from the January census. Schools which were not open at the January School Census have been excluded from the analysis. (5) The number of pupil enrolments expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils as at the January School Census).  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Pupil Exclusions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils in  (a) stand alone secondary schools and  (b) secondary departments of all-through schools have been subject to a (i) permanent and (ii) fixed-term exclusion in each year since 2000.

Nick Gibb: The requested information for 2005/06 and 2008/09 is shown in the tables.
	Data on fixed period exclusions was collected for the first time in 2003/04 via the Termly Exclusions Survey, and both fixed period and permanent exclusions were collected via the School Census for the first time in 2005/06. For consistency, data has been provided for the earliest and the most recent year available using School Census data. To provide data for further years would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  State-funded secondary schools( 1, 2) : Number and proportion of pupil enrolments( 3)  with fixed period or permanent exclusions by type of school( 4) . In 2005/06 and 2008/09. In England 
			   All state-funded secondary schools 
			   Number of schools  Number of enrolments with permanent exclusions( 7)  Number of enrolments with fixed period exclusions  Percentage of school population with permanent exclusions( 8)  Percentage of school population with fixed period exclusions( 8) 
			 2005/06 3,405 7,690 191,930 0.23 5.74 
			 2008/09 3,361 5,440 167,890 0.17 5.13 
		
	
	
		
			   'All through' state-funded secondary schools( 5) 
			   Number of schools  Number of enrolments with permanent exclusions( 7)  Number of enrolments with fixed period exclusions  Percentage of school population with permanent exclusions( 8)  Percentage of school population with fixed period exclusions( 8) 
			 2005/06 5 30 230 0.45 4.03 
			 2008/09 14 30 910 0.20 5.76 
		
	
	
		
			   Other state-funded secondary schools( 6) 
			   Number of schools  Number of enrolments with permanent exclusions( 7)  Number of enrolments with fixed period exclusions  Percentage of school population with permanent exclusions( 8)  Percentage of school population with fixed period exclusions( 8) 
			 2005/06 3,400 7,660 191,700 0.23 5.74 
			 2008/09 3,347 5,410 166,980 0.17 5.13 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Pupil enrolments may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the year, or were registered at more than one school. (4) Headcount of solely registered pupils taken from the January census. Schools which were not open at the January census have been excluded from the analysis. (5 )'All through' schools have been defined as those state-funded secondary schools with one or more pupil aged 3, 4 or 5, and one or more pupil aged 15, 16, 17 or 18 as at the January census. Schools which were not open at the January School Census have been excluded from the analysis. (6) State-funded secondary schools which are not defined as 'all through'. (7) Data is as returned by schools. (8) The number of pupil enrolments expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) as at the January School Census.  Note: Pupil enrolment numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Pupils: Absenteeism

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of pupils recorded as having days of unauthorised absence in secondary schools with  (a) fewer than 800 pupils,  (b) 800 to 1,000 pupils and  (c) more than 1,000 pupils in each year since 2000.

Nick Gibb: The requested information for 2005/06 and 2008/09 is shown in the table.
	Pupil absence has been collected at school level in secondary schools since 2005/06. Information relating to the number of pupils with unauthorised absence is not available prior to this date.
	To provide data for further years would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  State-funded secondary schools( 1, 2) : Number and proportion of enrolments( 3)  with unauthorised absence by size of school( 4) . In 2005/06 and 2008/09. In England 
			   Schools with fewer than 800 pupils( 4)  Schools with 800 to 1,000 pupils( 4)  Schools with over 1 , 000 pupils( 4) 
			   Number of enrolments with unauthorised absence  Number of enrolments  Percentage of enrolments with unauthorised absence  Number of enrolments with unauthorised absence  Number of enrolments  Percentage of enrolments with unauthorised absence  Number of enrolments with unauthorised absence  Number of enrolments  Percentage of enrolments with unauthorised absence 
			 2005/06 196,310 626,330 31.34 198,450 618,020 32.11 589,500 1,811,590 32.54 
			 2008/09 222,340 646,730 34.38 219,890 610,080 36.04 578,270 1,697,520 34.07 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Number of pupil enrolments in schools. Includes pupils on the school roll for at least one session who are aged between 5 and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once (if they moved schools during the school year or are registered in more than one school). (4) Headcount of solely registered pupils taken from the January census. Schools which were not open at the January census have been excluded from the analysis.  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Schools: Advisory Services

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how much his Department has paid Ten Lifestyle Management for providing information and support services to school leaders in England in each year since 2005;
	(2)  whether his Department holds information on  (a) the number of (i) schools which subscribed to the key information and support services and (ii) school leaders who used those services in each year since 2005 and  (b) payments by schools for those services in each such year.

Tim Loughton: The Department has not made any direct payment to Ten Lifestyle Management (TLM) for its delivery of The Key. The Key was established as a pilot service to support school leaders in May 2007 with initial set up taking place in late 2005. It was developed and managed by TLM under contract to the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA); a non-departmental public body of the Department.
	In the period September 2005 to April 2009 TDA made payments to TLM totalling £4,867,399.
	From June 2007 to July 2008, the service was available to 1,000 schools, and it was extended to a further 400 schools in its pilot state until March 2009 when the pilot scheme ended.
	Following the end of the pilot and to secure value from the public investment already made, the TDA licensed its then Intellectual Property Right (IPR) for an annual fee for a period of three years (the first year being 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010) and then an annual royalty based on the profits derived from the system by TLM for a further five years. Subject to this licensing arrangement, TLM have continued to provide the service, operating under a subscription fee system.
	During the pilot period, the service was provided free of charge to schools. The Department does not hold detailed information about the number of school leaders who have used the scheme or the amount of payments made for its services. Neither the TDA nor the Department has information on fees charged to date. This information may be available annually in due course in accordance with the terms of the IPR licence.

Schools: Buildings

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to ensure that school buildings may not  (a) exceed a specified temperature in summer and  (b) fall below a specified temperature in winter.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 11 October 2010
	Minimum temperatures for classrooms, gymnasia and corridors are given in the Education (School Premises) Regulations, SI No2, 1999. The minimum temperature given for classroom areas is 18°C.
	There is no requirement under the regulations for a maximum summertime temperature. However, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 apply to spaces where teachers teach and these include general requirements on reasonable temperatures which are supported by guidance in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) code of practice on the regulations.
	Comprehensive guidance on the ventilation of buildings and the avoidance of overheating in schools is available in Building Bulletin 101 'Ventilation of school Buildings' which can be downloaded from:
	www.teachernet.gov.uk/iaq
	The Department for Education, together with the Health Protection Agency, has also issued guidance on the operative, management and buildings measures that can be taken to avoid the risk from overheating in existing schools.
	The Government are currently reviewing these requirements for schools including the Building/School Premises Regulations and design requirements as part of its wider review on the future of schools capital, as announced by the Secretary of State on 5 July.

Schools: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in Lancashire have  (a) applied for and  (b) been granted academy status.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 14 October 2010
	 Six schools in Lancashire have applied for academy status. Five of these schools have received an academy order, enabling them to progress to the next stage. No schools in Lancashire have yet converted to academy status.

Schools: Transport

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received on the merits of subsidising transport for low income students to encourage them to take up preferential places at academy and free schools.

Nick Gibb: We have not received any representations on the merits of subsidising transport for low income pupils to encourage them to take up preferential places at academy and free schools.

Schools: Uniforms

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to regulate the making of exclusive agreements between schools and suppliers of school uniforms; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: There is no legislation that deals specifically with school uniform. Although governing bodies are responsible for deciding whether there should be a school uniform and how it should be sourced, guidance by the Department for Education makes clear that governing bodies should keep the cost of uniform under review, and be able to demonstrate that best value has been achieved. Governing bodies are also asked to ensure that the uniform chosen is widely available in high street shops, other retail outlets and internet suppliers, rather than from an expensive sole supplier. This guidance is reinforced in the School Admissions Code, that schools should not seek to operate as sole suppliers in order to raise funds through the sale of school uniforms, and to ensure that their policies and practices do not disadvantage any children.

Teachers: Training

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what timetable he has set for approving the number of teacher training places to be provided for 2011-12; how many such places were available for 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department is expecting to make an announcement of the number of initial teacher training places for 2011-12 by the end of December 2010. The Department has asked the Training and Development Agency for Schools to recruit to 35,480 places for 2010-11.

Young People: Vocational Training

Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure the quality of future vocational training programmes for young people.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 14 October 2010
	The Secretary of State has asked Professor Alison Wolf to carry out an independent review of vocational education. Professor Wolf will consider the organisation, funding, and target audience for vocational education, and the principles that should underpin the content, structure and teaching methods. She will report in spring 2011, and her findings will inform future developments to improve the standard of vocational education for 14 to 19-year-olds.
	In addition, we will publish the Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE) under statutory order later this year which will ensure all apprenticeship programmes must:
	be developed against National Occupational Standards (NOS);
	offer a balance of on and off-the-job guided learning; and
	lead to nationally recognised qualifications.

JUSTICE

Arrest Warrants

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made on his proposals to amend the law on prosecutions for universal jurisdiction offences.

Crispin Blunt: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Mr Clarke) announced in a written ministerial statement on 22 July 2010,  Official Report, column 47WS, the Government intend to bring before Parliament at the first opportunity a legislative amendment requiring the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions before an arrest warrant can be issued to a private prosecutor in respect of an offence of universal jurisdiction.

Attorney-General: Sentencing

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to review powers of the Attorney-General under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 in respect of lenient sentences; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The powers of the Attorney-General to refer certain Crown court sentences to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue leniency are working well. The coalition Government are following the practice of successive governments to keep the scheme under review by dealing with any proposals to add individual either way offences to the scheme on their own merits.

Coroners: Suicide

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the merits of ensuring that coroners record whether someone who commits suicide had a terminal condition.

Jonathan Djanogly: At the end of an inquest, coroners use either a range of short form verdicts-for example, accidental death, industrial disease, natural causes, suicide-or, in a small number of complex cases, narrative verdicts, which usually describe the circumstances as well as the cause of the death. In addition to providing information to the bereaved family concerned, and to enable a death to be formally registered, these verdicts are used by statisticians so that trends in causes of deaths can be recorded and reported, and any trends in public mortality identified and action taken where appropriate. To introduce further subsets of the short form verdict might cause practical difficulties for the recording function which can be tackled only at considerable expense. However, in taking forward the changes to the coroner system outlined in my written statement of 14 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 37-38WS, we shall be considering the secondary legislation and guidance which governs inquests, and this matter will be considered as part of that work.

Courts: Closures

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on the rate of non-appearance by  (a) witnesses and  (b) defendants of the implementation of his Department's proposed programme of court closures in (i) Staffordshire and (ii) England.

Jonathan Djanogly: I am not aware of any evidence to suggest that cost of travel or travel distance to court is a significant cause of defendants or witnesses failing to appear. Defendants and witnesses are expected to attend court when summoned and courts may take into account travel considerations when listing cases. Her Majesty's Courts Service will make use of flexible listing practices to minimise the potential impact of any court closures on increased travel times to court.
	Ministry of Justice economists are currently working on the provision of area wide impact assessments that will provide a full assessment of the costs and benefits of each closure. These will include an assessment of the travel impact on court users. We intend to publish the impact assessments alongside the consultations responses, by the end of the year.

Courts: Closures

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the savings to Her Majesty's Courts Service arising from the proposed programme of court closures.

Jonathan Djanogly: As I stated in my reply to this question during my appearance before the Justice Committee on 19 October, estimated savings, assuming closure of all 157 courts included in the proposals, are in the region of £15 million. These savings come from the operating costs associated with each of the courts on which we are consulting, and do not include staffing, judicial and non-cash costs.
	I would also add that this figure takes into account an estimated £4 million increase in variable running costs, such as utilities, at neighbouring courts as workload increases following transfer of work from the closing court.
	Ministry of Justice economists are currently working on the provision of area-wide impact assessments that will provide a full assessment of the costs and benefits of each closure. We intend to publish the impact assessments alongside the consultations responses, by the end of the year.

Criminal Proceedings: Females

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to appoint a ministerial champion for women in the criminal justice system.

Kenneth Clarke: We currently have no plans to appoint a ministerial champion for women in the criminal justice system within the Ministry of Justice. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department is the ministerial lead on women and equalities for Government. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Justice the hon. Member for Reigate (Mr Blunt) has recently had discussions with the Minister for Equalities on the needs of women offenders. The Government are committed to diverting women away from crime and tackling women's offending. We are taking forward an approach to provide effective alternatives to remands for the courts with new women's enhanced bail provision and effective community sentences using the expertise of the voluntary sector through Women's Community Projects. The aim is to meet the distinct and complex needs of women which are linked to their offending.

Family Courts: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many family cases at Worksop family court involved parties living in rural Bassetlaw in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009.

Jonathan Djanogly: Statistics on family cases for the combined Worksop and Retford family proceedings court are collated centrally by HMCS on an aggregate basis.
	Information is not available centrally on the residence of the parties involved, or for Worksop family court separately. This information can be obtained only by analysis of each individual case file which would be possible only at disproportionate costs.

Freedom of Information: Public Expenditure

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on the organisations which receive  (a) 50% or more,  (b) 75% or more and  (c) 90% or more of their income from the public purse and which are not public authorities for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice does not maintain a list of bodies funded  (a) 50% or more,  (b) 75% or more or  (c) 90% or more of their income from the public purse and which are not public authorities for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
	Over 100,000 public authorities are currently subject to the Act. These are either listed in Schedule 1 of the Act, or covered under section 6 as "publicly owned companies" that are wholly owned by the Crown or a public authority listed in Schedule 1.
	The Government are considering a range of options to increase transparency, including extending the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to additional public authorities. The Government will announce their intentions in due course

Freedom of Information: Public Expenditure

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the merits of amending the definition of bodies subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to include organisations which receive 50 per cent. or more of their annual funding from the public purse.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government are considering a range of options to increase transparency, including extending the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to additional public authorities. The Government will announce their intentions in due course.

Ian Tomlinson

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effects of holding the inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson in the City of London on the timing and cost of the inquest.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice has responsibility for coroner law and policy, but no operational role in the arrangements for inquests. The arrangements for the inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson are solely for the City of London coroner and his local authority. It is, however, a current legal requirement that an inquest is held within the district of the coroner who has jurisdiction.

Legal Aid: Crime

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his Department's budget is for  (a) civil and  (b) criminal legal aid for 2010-11.

Jonathan Djanogly: There are no separate budgets for civil or for criminal legal aid. Funding for legal aid is met from the overall departmental expenditure limit (DEL). However, we expect to spend around £1.1 billion this year on criminal legal aid, and about £1 billion on civil legal aid.

Magistrates Courts: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases at Retford and Worksop magistrates court were adjourned owing to non-attendance of  (a) witnesses and  (b) defendants in (i) 2008 and (ii) 2009.

Jonathan Djanogly: Information is not centrally collected on all adjournments that have occurred in the magistrates courts. This information could be gathered only from court files.
	However, information is available on the number of ineffective trials recorded due to non-attendance of either the witnesses or defendants. Ineffective trials are trials that do not go ahead on the scheduled day, due to action or inaction due to the defence, prosecution or court. This results in the trial being rescheduled.
	Table 1 provides the number of recorded ineffective trials due to non-attendance for defendants and witnesses in recorded criminal triads for Retford and Worksop magistrates courts.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number  of trials which were "ineffective" due to non-attendance, Retford and Worksop magistrates courts, 2008-09 
			Number of ineffective trials recorded 
			   Number of trials recorded  Due to non-attendance of defendants  Due to non-attendance of witnesses 
			 2008 271 12 21 
			 2009 387 16 14 
			  Notes:  1. The figures correspond to trials only and exclude all non-attendance when trials did not occur.  2. Witnesses are defined as both professional, police and other witnesses for both the defence and prosecution.   Source:  Ineffective trial monitoring form, HM Court Service.

Offenders

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with  (a) statutory and  (b) non-statutory bodies dealing with offenders on the re-settlement of offenders; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: I have met with a wide range of statutory and non-statutory bodies over recent weeks to develop proposals for the rehabilitation and sentencing Green Paper. The re-settlement of offenders, including the impact of successfully finding accommodation and employment upon release from custody and its role in reducing reoffending, has been discussed at many of these meetings. We acknowledge the importance of this matter and will set out our proposals in this area in the forthcoming Green Paper.

Offenders: Incentives and Earned Privilege Scheme

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders in each prison establishment were on each level of the Incentives and Earned Privilege Scheme  (a) on the most recent date for which details are available and  (b) 12 months prior to that date; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The aim of the IEP scheme is to allow prisoners to earn additional privileges through responsible behaviour, participation in hard work and other constructive activity. Additional privileges will be removed if prisoners fail to maintain acceptable standards. Governors have devolved responsibility to draw up their own IEP schemes although the scheme must operate on at least three tiers: Basic, Standard and Enhanced.
	At the end of September 2010 and for the same period 12 months ago, the total number of prisoners in each prison establishment on the minimum three levels of the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme were as follows:
	
		
			   September 2010  September 2009 
			  Prison Name  Basic  Standard  Enhanced  Basic  Standard  Enhanced 
			 Acklington 7 459 414 3 522 409 
			 Albany 5 243 316 1 227 331 
			 Altcourse 49 682 497 60 676 559 
			 Ashfield 55 199 51 53 178 57 
			 Ashwell 0 38 175 0 61 136 
			 Askham Grange 0 25 101 0 37 86 
			 Aylesbury 19 250 170 8 282 150 
			 Bedford 6 387 94 3 406 73 
			 Belmarsh 22 825 121 14 771 95 
			 Birmingham 4 1,068 357 9 1,092 303 
			 Blantyre House 0 0 121 0 0 121 
			 Blundeston 3 235 280 7 246 263 
			 Brinsford 9 342 173 9 358 174 
			 Bristol 7 442 139 10 435 156 
			 Brixton 7 612 140 8 636 94 
			 Bronzefield 4 361 128 3 337 94 
			 Buckley Hall 7 115 254 2 149 234 
			 Bullingdon 15 779 260 7 755 301 
			 Bullwood Hall 0 120 107 0 116 108 
			 Bure 4 227 282 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Camp Hill 7 222 358 3 269 302 
			 Canterbury 1 173 130 3 182 121 
			 Cardiff 6 627 184 9 550 245 
			 Castington 0 59 23 8 351 142 
			 Channings Wood 6 301 415 6 305 404 
			 Chelmsford 21 491 171 16 0 145 
			 Coldingley 4 168 334 1 220 260 
			 Cookham Wood 18 85 31 12 63 22 
			 Dartmoor 2 221 285 14 298 288 
			 Deerbolt 12 394 86 4 410 84 
			 Doncaster 23 865 212 11 793 220 
			 Dorchester 1 181 39 2 154 61 
			 Dovegate 8 585 557 6 393 625 
			 Downview 2 131 191 1 167 178 
			 Drake Hall 3 78 208 0 106 182 
			 Durham 8 706 206 1 748 226 
			 East Sutton Park 0 0 90 0 0 93 
			 Eastwood Park 4 208 107 7 176 126 
			 Edmunds Hill 6 207 166 3 219 151 
			 Elmley 15 830 329 16 722 204 
			 Erlestoke 2 88 277 2 109 343 
			 Everthorpe 15 262 402 7 283 389 
			 Exeter 9 413 95 5 402 120 
			 Featherstone 12 293 348 10 275 360 
			 Feltham 35 508 121 12 529 101 
			 Ford 0 158 380 0 159 388 
			 Forest Bank 29 942 376 33 856 262 
			 Foston Hall 7 130 101 2 164 70 
			 Frankland 33 319 466 19 305 379 
			 Full Sutton 10 196 373 9 208 356 
			 Garth 7 205 626 4 224 599 
			 Gartree 4 97 569 5 134 528 
			 Glen Parva 42 534 145 38 638 122 
			 Gloucester 2 222 86 0 238 75 
			 Grendon 0 23 503 0 26 490 
			 Guys Marsh 5 262 239 11 277 281 
			 Haverigg 20 174 441 11 198 400 
			 Hewell 6 974 401 9 954 369 
			 High Down 11 815 237 11 834 216 
			 Highpoint 22 402 516 18 384 525 
			 Hindley 20 213 79 28 228 79 
			 Hollesley Bay 2 55 298 1 80 272 
			 Holloway 5 342 111 6 362 62 
			 Holme House 6 798 173 6 748 194 
			 Hull 25 601 352 8 540 381 
			 Kennet 3 96 230 2 142 194 
			 Kingston 0 14 184 2 16 156 
			 Kirkham 0 70 507 1 106 479 
			 Kirklevington 0 231 38 0 61 219 
			 Lancaster 1 120 118 1 117 114 
			 Lancaster Farms 14 325 151 8 325 157 
			 Latchmere House 0 0 202 0 1 195 
			 Leeds 3 791 239 7 857 230 
			 Leicester 10 225 121 3 281 83 
			 Lewes 3 340 118 11 497 141 
			 Leyhill 0 97 415 0 109 386 
			 Lincoln 7 412 182 8 479 173 
			 Lindholme 14 372 602 9 404 559 
			 Littlehey 16 666 407 1 399 311 
			 Liverpool 8 970 246 11 1,087 207 
			 Long Lartin 7 302 305 4 317 296 
			 Low Newton 5 149 62 3 182 82 
			 Lowdham Grange 15 123 787 20 114 551 
			 Maidstone 0 207 386 0 234 359 
			 Manchester 14 816 342 30 907 293 
			 Moorland (Closed) 14 483 281 25 465 273 
			 Moorland (Open) 0 35 213 0 42 196 
			 Morton Hall 1 198 107 1 118 220 
			 Mount 14 264 483 14 259 477 
			 New Hall 18 227 126 14 210 153 
			 North Sea Camp 2 17 293 0 87 224 
			 Northallerton 6 145 42 4 190 44 
			 Norwich 14 576 140 8 574 55 
			 Nottingham 17 835 193 14 422 107 
			 Onley 20 234 437 16 319 357 
			 Parc 20 682 415 20 770 379 
			 Parkhurst 13 171 334 9 190 324 
			 Pentonville 23 908 277 10 967 239 
			 Peterborough (Female) 5 246 83 10 227 69 
			 Peterborough (Male) 37 461 109 23 455 126 
			 Portland 12 277 172 17 284 240 
			 Preston 13 581 174 4 562 177 
			 Ranby 13 466 576 27 536 510 
			 Reading 0 132 82 3 107 127 
			 Risley 30 500 557 23 511 522 
			 Rochester 17 444 215 15 527 160 
			 Rye Hill 8 148 442 11 175 467 
			 Send 3 67 204 0 79 191 
			 Shepton Mallet 0 7 178 0 7 182 
			 Shrewsbury 1 178 134 4 187 94 
			 Stafford 3 332 394 2 376 257 
			 Standford Hill 1 83 357 0 37 388 
			 Stocken 15 419 399 5 395 403 
			 Stoke Heath 27 390 152 35 448 144 
			 Styal 5 304 111 5 290 114 
			 Sudbury 3 50 518 1 48 520 
			 Swaleside 26 309 750 16 263 546 
			 Swansea 3 315 106 2 279 105 
			 Swinfen Hall 14 252 354 26 264 324 
			 Thorn Cross 7 87 197 6 109 173 
			 Usk/Prescoed 0 99 329 0 118 294 
			 Verne 10 171 420 7 163 418 
			 Wakefield 21 392 327 9 389 347 
			 Wandsworth 16 1,252 346 12 1,134 435 
			 Warren Hill 19 94 62 14 93 82 
			 Wayland 19 499 478 8 514 483 
			 Wealstun 6 331 402 6 203 311 
			 Wellingborough 7 229 279 1 328 313 
			 Wellington 16 64 29 10 85 37 
			 Wetherby 12 220 90 12 206 130 
			 Wharton 3 252 565 2 287 521 
			 Whitemoor 3 151 295 5 169 268 
			 Winchester 5 528 158 0 484 194 
			 Wolds 1 111 278 2 103 282 
			 Woodhill 17 610 170 6 589 218 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 3 1,064 191 3 1,030 215 
			 Wymott 4 632 519 3 678 454 
			 Totals 1,386 46,815 36,202 1,166 46,552 34,258

Prisons: Food

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to increase the proportion of domestically produced food supplied to prisons under contracts negotiated by the National Offender Management Service.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice does not have targets for domestically produced food at the present time.
	The MOJ is working with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and other Government Departments who form part of the Government's strategy for sustainable farming and food. This is intended to encourage the public sector to procure food in a manner that promotes sustainable development and does not discriminate against local and UK suppliers.
	Where United Kingdom supplies can meet the specifications set by the Prison Service, the Ministry of Justice will avail of these products wherever this can be achieved without increasing overall costs. The Department is working closely with the supply base to further increase the volume of home grown food used within prisons when compliant with specifications and within budget.

Probation Service: Mental Health

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the probation service is taking to meet the needs of offenders with mental health conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: I have been asked to reply.
	The probation service is reviewing the content of and training for the offender assessment system to improve the identification of offenders with mental health problems. Residents of approved premises access health care in the same way as the rest of the population.

Restraint Techniques

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the membership of the Physical Control in Care  (a) Management and  (b) Medical Panel Board was in each year since 2004; what professional (i) qualifications, (ii) experience and (iii) affiliations each member had; on what dates the management board has met since 2004; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of each such meeting.

Crispin Blunt: The Physical Control in Care Management Board met on 5 November 2007, 26 February 2008, 9 June 2008 and 10 December 2008. Membership of the board was made up of officials from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Children, Schools and Families, Department of Health, Ofsted, Northern Ireland Office and the Youth Justice Board. The board was chaired by Ministers from both the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The minutes of these meetings are policy-restricted.
	The Physical Control in Care Medical Panel Board has produced two reports both of which are in the public domain. The first in 2005 and the second in 2007. All Members that served on the board and their professional backgrounds are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Name  Occupation 
			 Professor Susan Bailey Consultant Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatrist, Prestwich Hospital 
			 Dr Heather Payne Consultant Paediatrician in Community Child Health, Ysprad Mynach Hospital 
			 Barry Walker Aycliffe Secure Services (secure children's home) 
			 James Hunter Consultant Trauma and Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham 
			 Dr Mike Lindsay Senior Professional Adviser (Children's Rights), National Care Standards Commission 
			 Steve Hart National Lead Inspector, Commission for Social Care Inspection 
			 Dr Richard Barnett Physiotherapist 
			 Dr Christophe Bradish Orthopaedic Surgeon

Squatting

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences related to non-payment of council tax in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(2)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences of robbery in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(3)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences related to carrying out unauthorised works to a listed building in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(4)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences of television licence evasion in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(5)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences of criminal damage in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(6)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences of arson in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(7)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences of trespass in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(8)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences relating to using utilities without contacting the suppliers in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(9)  how many people were prosecuted for breaking and entering where their apparent purpose was to squat in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009; and how many of these had previously been subject to an anti-social behaviour order.

Crispin Blunt: Data held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database do not contain information about the circumstances behind each case, beyond the description provided in the statute under which proceedings are brought. It is therefore not possible to separately identify whether offences were committed by squatters for: non-payment of council tax; robbery; carrying out unauthorised works to a listed building; television licence evasion; criminal damage; arson; trespass; or using utilities without contacting the suppliers. Similarly it is not possible to separately identify those persons prosecuted for burglary whose apparent purpose was to squat.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

AgustaWestland: Government Assistance

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with the South West of England Regional Development Agency on the financial assistance proposed to be provided to AgustaWestland in the Spending Review;
	(2)  what representations he has received on the financial assistance proposed to be provided to AgustaWestland in the Spending Review.

Mark Prisk: Since 2009, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has had a number of discussions with the South West of England Regional Development Agency and other interested parties about possible support for AgustaWestland. Since the election, the Secretary of State has received representations on the future of the UK's rotorcraft industry from the management of AgustaWestland, and its parent company Finmeccanica. In addition, he has also had representations from the right hon. Member for Yeovil (David Laws) in his capacity as the constituency MP.

Aimhigher Scheme

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent evaluation of the Aimhigher scheme his Department has undertaken; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Research undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Excellence (NFER) for HEFCE was published in October 2009. It examined the impact of Excellence Challenge (Aimhigher's predecessor) on the probability of entering higher education for young people who experienced Excellence Challenge in 2001/02, the first year of the scheme. It found that:
	Young people from schools with Excellence Challenge with only average levels of attainment at GCSE were more likely than their academic peers from schools without Excellence Challenge to take up a higher education place.
	Young people in receipt of Free School Meals were more likely to have progressed to higher education if they attended a school with Excellence Challenge than if they attended a school without Excellence Challenge. For the 2001/02 cohort, this equated to one additional higher education entrant for every 100 young people eligible for Free
	School Meals.
	More recent research was published in August 2010. It examined local evaluation conducted by Aimhigher partnerships and made three key findings:
	Some Aimhigher participants had improved outcomes in terms of raised aspirations, raised attainment and improved progression.
	High levels of learner enjoyment and an increased learner interest in entering higher education.
	Involvement with Aimhigher was associated with higher than predicted attainment at GCSE and greater confidence among learners that they were able to achieve.

Charity Research Support Fund

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what level of funding will be provided to the Charity Research Support Fund in each year of the Spending Review 2010 period; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: holding answer 1 November 2010
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 21 October 2010,  Official Report, column 866-67W, to the hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mrs Glindon).

Departmental Public Expenditure

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanisms are in place to ensure that his Department's decisions on regional funding allocations are based on the most recent available population data.

Mark Prisk: Population data were used as a factor shaping funding allocations to regional development agencies following spending review 2007 and before. Allocations to RDAs following conclusion of spending review 2010 will be determined shortly but are likely to be based on the levels of legal commitment and anticipated closure costs.

Employment Schemes: Merseyside

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) women and  (b) employers in Merseyside have taken part in the women and work sector skills pathway initiative.

John Hayes: Between April 2009 and March 2010 68 employers and 279 women from the north-west of England participated in the women and work programme. Data are not available at a sub-regional or constituency level.

European Regional Development Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the future management of funds allocated from the European Regional Development Fund following the ending of regional development agencies.

Mark Prisk: There have been no meetings specifically scheduled between the Secretary of State Business, Innovation and Skills and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to discuss the future management of ERDF funds following the decision to close the Regional Development Agencies.

Green Investment Bank

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the revenue likely to accrue to the Green Investment Bank from the sale of each additional significant asset referred to in the national infrastructure plan.

Mark Prisk: To give information on expected proceeds from individual asset sales would prejudice the Government's commercial position in ongoing and future sale processes. However, at an aggregate level, the Government are confident that the asset sales it is considering will be sufficient to provide significant additional funding above the £1 billion allocated to the Green Investment Bank from departmental budgets. It will make further announcements on this funding stream in due course.

Green Investment Bank

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from each source he expects to be available for the Green Investment Bank in each of the next five years.

Mark Prisk: As announced in the spending review, the Green Investment Bank will be funded by £1 billion from departmental budgets, and additional significant proceeds of asset sales. The former funding source is for spend in 2013-14. The Government are not able to provide details of the latter funding source as to do so would prejudice the commercial position in ongoing and future sale processes. However, it is anticipated that the use of these proceeds should mean funding for the Green Investment Bank will not be limited to 2013-14, and should be available before that time.

Higher Education Funding Council

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding the Higher Education Funding Council plans to allocate from its quality-related grant to the Quality Research Support Fund in 2011-12.

David Willetts: In the recent spending review, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Government will spend £4.6 billion on science and research programmes in each of the next four years within a ring-fenced budget. Capital and administration spending on science and research have not yet been decided.
	In the coming months, Ministers will make decisions on the balance of funding between individual research councils, HEFCE's research and knowledge transfer activities, the national academies and other programmes. Decisions on detailed allocations and specific projects will be taken by research councils, in line with the Haldane Principle, and HEFCE, within its statutory independence.

Higher Education: Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent reports he has received on incidents of Jewish students at universities in London being targeted by Islamic extremists; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: I have received no reports of incidents of Jewish students attending universities in London being targeted by Islamic extremists. The broader issue of the treatment of Jewish students was discussed at a recent meeting I held with John Mann, the Community Security Trust, the Union of Jewish Students, Universities UK and the Equality Challenge Unit.
	There is no place for racism of any form, including anti-Semitism, in higher education. Universities have access to a strong legislative framework and guidance to help them deal effectively with instances of intolerance, racism and harassment in their institutions. Government would expect them to vigorously tackle these issues when they arise and has supported institutions with key guidance on promoting good campus relations in the sector.

Higher Education: Disadvantaged

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what change there has been in the rate of participation in higher education by those living in disadvantaged areas since 2004; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The latest available information from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) estimates that 19% of young people (aged 18 or 19) from low participation neighbourhoods in England entered higher education in the 2009/10 academic year. This compares with 15% in 2004/05, an increase of 4 percentage points.
	This information is taken from the HEFCE report, 'Trends in young participation in higher education: core results for England', which was published in January 2010. The key findings of the report and the full report can be found at this link:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2010/10_03

Higher Education: Durham

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people resident in  (a) North West Durham constituency,  (b) the north-east and  (c) England entered (i) higher education and (ii) university in each of the last 13 years.

David Willetts: The latest information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is shown in the table. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011. Comparable figures for entrants to higher education level courses at further education colleges are not available.
	
		
			  Undergraduate entrants from North West Durham parliamentary constituency( 1) , North East Government office region and England UK higher education institutions( 2) , academic years 1996/97 to 2008/09 
			  Number 
			  Academic year  North West Durham  North East  England 
			 1996/97 510 19,575 371,210 
			 1997/98 535 20,790 377,855 
			 1998/99 535 19,485 402,240 
			 1999/2000 590 19,885 401,345 
			 2000/01 570 20,840 398,700 
			 2001/02 655 21,890 423,965 
			 2002/03 655 24,565 440,520 
			 2003/04 680 24,665 446,045 
			 2004/05 700 23,550 446,695 
			 2005/06 760 25,690 462,950 
			 2006/07 765 26,320 442,645 
			 2007/08 695 25,265 460,290 
			 2008/09 790 28,390 481,935 
			 (1) Excludes students whose constituency could not be established due to missing or invalid postcode information. (2) Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series.  Note: Figures are based on a 1 December snapshot and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: Finance

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what financial impact assessment his Department undertook on the decision to reduce the funding available for teaching in higher education institutions; and what estimate his Department has made of the number of higher education  (a) institutions,  (b) departments and  (c) courses likely to close as a result of this decision.

David Willetts: We will announce the level of higher education funding for academic year 2011-12, including the teaching grant, to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in its annual grant letter by January 2011. Before bringing forward our proposals for changes to the funding system from academic year 2012-13 to Parliament, we will complete a full assessment of the impact of these changes. We will make this available alongside draft legislation. The Government will undertake a further impact assessment of any wider changes proposed as a result of a higher education White Paper reviewing the framework for HE, and this will be published alongside the White Paper in the winter.
	Regarding an estimate of effects on higher education institutions (HEIs), departments and courses, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (Tom Blenkinsop) on 25 October 2010,  Official Report, column 135W.

Higher Education: Private Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with  (a) US-based and  (b) other private providers of higher education in England; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: holding answer 1 November 2010
	I met with US-based provider Laureate on 15 September. Additionally, the Secretary of State, the Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning and I met with BPP University College of Professional Studies, as a part of a wider meeting with representatives of the higher education sector, on 12 July.
	The Government want to make it easier for new providers who can offer excellent teaching and a high quality experience for students to enter the higher education sector. However, this is one of a number of institutional issues in the wake of Lord Browne's independent review of higher education and student finance which requires thorough debate and consultation. We intend therefore to publish a higher education White Paper with detailed proposals to which experts from the sector can react, leading, subject to parliamentary time, to a higher education Bill.

Housing: Construction

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to bring forward proposals to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses in the house-building sector.

Andrew Stunell: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are committed to reducing the regulatory burden on businesses in the house building sector.
	We have abolished HIPs and we are working with the industry to develop an approach to zero carbon homes which balances mitigating the carbon burdens from new development with ensuring the viability of development.
	We have adopted a Government-wide "one in, one out" approach to new regulatory burdens across the economy as a whole, and in the spending review we announced that we will reduce the total regulatory burden on the house building industry in England over the spending review period. We will be seeking to work across Government Departments to put in place the mechanisms to achieve this.
	I have already initiated a review of the building regulations, to consider options for changes to the building regulations and building control system, including the potential to deregulate. Having sought views from a wide range of interested parties, my officials are now analysing the responses and I am aiming to make a statement on this around the end of the year.
	My colleague, the Minister for Housing and Local Government, has also set out his commitment to simplify the regulations for new build housing in England. My Department will be initiating discussions with interested parties shortly about how to simplify other standards (beyond building regulations).

Leukaemia: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the relationship between murine leukaemia virus-related virus and myalgic encephalomyelitis.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government supports medical and clinical research. In keeping with the Haldane principle, prioritisation of an individual research council's spending within its allocation is not a decision for Ministers. Such decisions are rightly left to those best placed to evaluate the scientific quality, excellence and likely impact of scientific programmes.
	The MRC is committed to supporting scientific research into all aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), including studies into the biological basis of the condition. In 2009/10 the MRC spent £100,000 on research relating directly to CFS/ME. The Government have not commissioned nor evaluated any research on the relationship between murine leukaemia virus-related virus and CFS/ME.

Manufacturing Industries: Environment

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what  (a) grants and  (b) other forms of assistance his Department provides to manufacturing firms wishing to improve their environmental performance (i) nationally and (ii) in Lancashire.

Mark Prisk: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) BIS currently does not provide direct grants to manufacturing firms wishing to improve their environmental performance.
	 (b)(i) However, a number of Government Departments and funded bodies provide specialist support to help manufacturing firms cut carbon emissions, save energy and commercialise low carbon technologies. They include the Carbon Trust, funded by DECC and the Devolved Administrations, DFT, DEFRA , FCO and BIS.
	 (b)(ii) In Lancashire NWDA provides additional support to local businesses to help them reduce waste, become more energy efficient and generally improve their performance. This support includes the Manufacturing Advisory Service, Improving Your Resource Efficiency programme, grants for improving resource efficiency and the Environmental Advice Service.

Manufacturing Industries: Location

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what financial support from his Department is available for manufacturing firms relocating to larger premises  (a) nationally and  (b) in Lancashire.

Mark Prisk: BIS does not currently offer financial support for relocating to larger premises. However, the north-west development agency has developed a £184 million venture capital and loan fund comprising European Regional Development Fund grant and European Investment Bank loan. The fund is due to be launched in November and will provide a range of financial support to SMEs including expanding manufacturing companies.

News Corporation: British Sky Broadcasting

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to issue a public interest intervention in respect of the proposed acquisition of BSkyB by News Corporation.

Edward Davey: holding answer 27 October 2010
	 The Secretary of State is aware of the proposed merger, however no transaction has yet been formally filed with the European Commission for competition clearance. If News Corporation does formally file, the Secretary of State will take a decision on whether to intervene on public interest grounds, taking account of all relevant information and the various representations he has received on the matter.

Post Office

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the Post Office joint venture; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: We encourage Post Office Ltd. to explore joint venture opportunities with other partners where appropriate.

Post Office: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future level of subsidy to the Post Office.

Edward Davey: As announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 27 October, we are providing £1.34 billion of funding for the Post Office over the spending review period, enabling it to maintain and modernise the network.

Post Offices: Financial Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what changes to financial services offered by the Post Office he proposes to make.

Edward Davey: The Post Office already offers a wide range of financial and banking services and we are working closely with Post Office Ltd as it develops its commercial strategy, including growing revenue from financial services in order to sustain the network.

Post Offices: Financial Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to change the banking model operated by the Post Office.

Edward Davey: As the coalition agreement made clear, we will ensure that post offices are allowed to offer a wide range of services and we are looking at the case for developing new sources of revenue, such as the creation of a Post Office bank.

Public Expenditure

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding he plans to allocate to each research council in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

David Willetts: In the recent spending review the Chancellor announced that the Government will spend £4.6 billion on science and research programmes in each of the next four years within a ring-fenced budget. Capital and administration spending on science and research have not yet been decided.
	In the coming months, Ministers will make decisions on the balance of funding between the individual research councils, HEFCE's research and knowledge transfer activities, the national academies and other programs. Detailed decisions on specific projects will be taken by funding bodies, in line with the Haldane principle.

Regional Development Agencies

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to minimise the cost to the public purse of winding up regional development agencies.

Mark Prisk: This Department is working with the regional development agencies to help them develop closure plans. Securing value for the taxpayer and the economy will be key considerations. High level principles governing asset disposal were set out in the local growth White Paper published on 28 October.

Regional Development Agencies

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that local enterprise partnerships are operational before regional development agencies are closed.

Mark Prisk: On 28 October we announced that 24 of outline proposals for local enterprise partnerships received met the Government's expectations and have been asked to start developing their boards. Other partnerships continue to develop their proposals so they can be in a similar position. We will continue to engage with both groups of partnerships at a speed that is appropriate for them.

Regional Development Agencies: Technology Strategy Board

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much each regional development agency allocated to the Technology Strategy Board in funding in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

David Willetts: The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and does not receive allocated funding from the regional development agencies (RDAs).
	However, over recent years, the RDAs have collaborated with the TSB on a broad range of innovation and technology projects in order to strengthen the strategic and economic impact of their collective investments.
	In 2008-09, the RDAs invested £101 million in projects aligned with the TSB. Details of the amount invested by each RDA are provided in the following table. In 2009-10, the RDA network was projected to also invest a further £160 million in aligned projects.
	
		
			  Aligned investment 2008-09 
			  RDA  £ million 
			 One NorthEast 11.26 
			 North West Development Agency 12.62 
			 Yorkshire Forward 6.31 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 10.32 
			 East of England Development Agency 7.59 
			 Advantage West Midlands 26.83 
			 London Development Agency 9.61 
			 South West Regional Development Agency 4.81 
			 South East of England Development Agency 11.80 
		
	
	In June 2010, the Government's emergency Budget announced that the RDA network is to be abolished and its functions transferred to other national or local organisations. The RDAs were also asked to find £270 million of savings from their programme budgets for 2010-11. As each RDA is currently determining where its respective programme savings will be made, figures for projected RDA aligned investment with the TSB for 2010-11 are unavailable at present.

Research and Development

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Government has set a target for the proportion of gross domestic product to be spent on research and development.

David Willetts: The latest figures available from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that gross expenditure on research and development is 1.8% of GDP. The Government have not set any GDP percentage targets for research and development spend.

Research Council: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding he plans to allocate to each research council in  (a) 2011-12,  (b) 2012-13 and  (c) 2013-14 in real terms based on 2010-11 prices.

David Willetts: In the recent spending review my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Government will spend £4.6 billion on science and research programmes in each of the next four years within a ring-fenced budget. Capital and administration spending on science and research have not yet been decided and are not included within the ringfence.
	In the coming months, Ministers will make decisions on the balance of funding between research councils, HEFCE's research and knowledge transfer activities, the national academies and other programmes. Detailed decisions on specific projects will be taken by funding bodies, in line with the Haldane principle.

Research Councils: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations his Department has received from private sector companies on funding for the research councils.

David Willetts: A number of senior industrialists have written to me recently. The CBI and the Council for Science and Technology represent the views of the private sector in the BIS consultations on science and research funding including the allocations process.

Science: Finance

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the difference in cash terms between maintaining the science budget in real terms and in cash terms in the period of the spending review 2010.

David Willetts: Resource funding for science and research has been maintained at £4,576 million for every year of the SR10 period.
	The Government have protected these programmes in cash terms because they understand the vital role that science and research plays in rebalancing the economy and ensuring economic growth.
	The latest Government forecasts for inflation, which were provided by the Office for Budget Responsibility and were published in the June 2010 Budget, are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Inflation rate (percentage) 
			 2011-12 1.95 
			 2012-13 2.27 
			 2013-14 2.62 
			 2014-15 2.65 
		
	
	The Wakeham review identified a number of proposals for efficiency savings. The Government will be seeking implementation of these across the research base as part of the SR10 settlement.

Science: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects in cash terms of the freezing of the science budget on the number of scientists working in the UK.

David Willetts: No such assessment has been carried out. The Government have protected science and research funding. This sends a strong signal on the attractiveness of scientific careers in the UK. Additionally, implementing the efficiency savings identified by Bill Wakeham, should offset some of the effects of inflation. It will be for research councils, under the Haldane principle, and funding councils with their statutory independence, to make detailed decisions on funding.

Science: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria his Department plans to use in allocating the science research budget between the research councils in 2011-12.

David Willetts: In the coming months, Ministers will make decisions on the balance of funding between individual research councils, HEFCE's research and knowledge transfer activities, the national academies and other programs. These decisions will be made in line with the Government's strategic priorities of funding excellence and focusing on areas with the critical mass to compete globally. Detailed decisions on specific projects will be taken by funding bodies, in line with the Haldane principle.

Science: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what forecast he has made of the rate of inflation affecting his Department's expenditure on science research in the period to 2014.

David Willetts: The latest Government forecasts for inflation, which were provided by the Office for Budget Responsibility and published in the June 2010 Budget, are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Inflation rate (percentage) 
			 2011-12 1.95 
			 2012-13 2.27 
			 2013-14 2.62 
			 2014-15 2.65 
		
	
	The Wakeham review identified a number of proposals for efficiency savings. The Government will be seeking implementation of these across the research base as part of the SR10 settlement.

Students: Fees and Charges

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what analysis his Department has undertaken of the model for funding student fees used by  (a) CareerConcept AG in Germany,  (b) Lumni, Inc. in the USA, Mexico, Chile and Colombia and  (c) Prodigy Finance Ltd in the UK.

David Willetts: holding answer 1 November 2010
	The Browne review considered a range of alternative models for enabling students to defer fees, including private financing options.
	Chapter 7 of the Browne review, beginning on page 51, explains the review team's reasons for rejecting alternative options including private financial support. The full report is available at:
	http://hereview.independent.gov.uk/hereview/report/
	The Government will respond to the suggestions in the Browne review shortly.

Students: Finance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the effects on arts, humanities and social science teaching and research in universities of the implementation of the Government's proposals for university funding; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: We have received a number of representations since the publication of Lord Browne's review.
	He recommended that funding for higher education should, in future, largely follow student choice. This would be supported by better information about course content and outcomes. This would allow popular and successful courses, including those in the arts, humanities and social sciences to prosper.
	In the recent comprehensive spending review announcement we were able to protect science and research. We have said that we agree with the broad thrust of Lord Browne's recommendations and will respond shortly.

Technology Strategy Board

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Technology Strategy Board will have a role in administering technology and innovation centres.

David Willetts: holding answer 1 November 2010
	The overall network of centres will be established and overseen by the Technology Strategy Board.
	The Technology Strategy Board will work with industry, stakeholders, and wider government to identify the priority areas and governance structure for the elite network of Technology and Innovation Centres by April 2011.

Technology Strategy Board

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the long term future of the Technology Strategy Board; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: We are making the Technology Strategy Board the Government's prime channel through which we will incentivise business-led technology innovation in those sectors of the UK economy which present the greatest opportunity to boost UK growth. A business- led organisation whose staff have a combined experience of over 600 years in the private sector, the Technology Strategy Board will serve as the main delivery body for supporting business innovation.
	Where there is the genuine potential for the UK to gain competitive advantage, we want to support business in translating scientific leads into leading positions in new industries. That is why we announced that over four years we will provide over £200 million of funding to establish an elite network of Technology and Innovation Centres through the Technology Strategy Board. The centres will enable industry to exploit new and emerging technologies, by providing a capability that bridges research and technology commercialisation, de-risking the process for business. This will help make new technologies investment ready and able to attract venture capital or other forms of investment, shortening the time to market. Working with industry and Government, the Technology Strategy Board will develop a strategy and implementation plan for the elite network of centres by April 2011.
	Support for these centres, together with support for R&D, knowledge transfer, and demonstrators will enable the Technology Strategy Board to support and incentivise all stages of technology development.

Technology Strategy Board: Finance

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funds will be allocated to the Technology Strategy Board in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

David Willetts: holding answer 1 November 2010
	Following the spending review, the allocations process in BIS will determine the Technology Strategy Board budget for the CSR period, including the annual allocation. The allocations process will begin soon.

Technology Strategy Board: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department channelled through regional development agencies for projects which the Technology Strategy Board was also funding in 2007-10.

Mark Prisk: In 2008/09, the regional development agencies (RDAs) invested £101 million in innovation and technology projects aligned with the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). In 2009/10, the RDAs were projected to also invest a further £160 million in aligned projects.
	This aligned investment was undertaken in response to the publication of Lord Sainsbury's 'The Race to the Top' report in October 2007, which recommended closer RDA collaboration with the TSB to strengthen the strategic and economic impact of their collective investments.
	The RDA and TSB co-investment covered a wide range of projects and programmes including the development and funding of recognised centres of expertise; provision of demonstrator facilities to accelerate the take-up of new technologies; financial support to expand the number of knowledge transfer partnerships; and activity to increase business awareness and participation in knowledge transfer networks.
	A breakdown of aligned investment by each RDA, and a range of co-investment case studies, is provided in the TSB's 'Accelerating Business Innovation Across the UK' report published in February 2010. The report can be found at:
	http://www.innovateuk.org/content/news/new-innovation-report-shows-benefit-to-business-of.ashx

Technology Strategy Board: Finance

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what Government funding the Technology Strategy Board received in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and how much it will receive in 2010-11.

David Willetts: The Technology Strategy Board received Government funding of £208 million in 2008/09 and £385 million in 2009/10. It is due to receive a total of £363 million in 2010/11.
	These figures comprise of core funding from this Department plus co-funding received from other Government Departments for specific Technology Strategy Board activities.

Technology: Facilities

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what  (a) methodology and  (b) criteria he plans to use to determine the locations of technology and innovation centres.

David Willetts: holding answer 1 November 2010
	The overall network of centres will be established and overseen by the Technology Strategy Board and will be based on the model proposed by Hermann Hauser and James Dyson, to commercialise new and emerging technologies in areas where there are large global market opportunities and a critical mass of UK capability to take advantage.
	The Technology Strategy Board will work with industry, stakeholders, and wider government to identify the priority areas and governance structure for the elite network of technology and innovation centres by April 2011.

Train to Gain Programme: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people have received training from the Train to Gain programme in  (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency,  (b) Tower Hamlets and  (c) London in each year since the inception of that programme.

John Hayes: The following table shows the number of Train to Gain starts in Bethnal Green and Bow parliamentary constituency, Tower Hamlets local authority and London Government office region from 2005/06 to 2008/09, the latest academic year for which we have full-year figures. The Train to Gain programme started in April 2006.
	
		
			  Train to Gain starts by geography, 2005/06 to 2008/09 
			   2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09( 1) 
			   April 2006 to August 2006  Full year  Full year  Full year 
			 Bethnal Green and Bow parliamentary constituency 40 380 850 1,700 
			 Tower Hamlets local authority 100 800 1,700 3,300 
			 London Government office region 1,900 24,700 51,400 94,600 
			 (1) Figures for 2008/09 are not comparable with earlier years as in 2008/09 NVQs delivered in the workplace previously funded by FE are now funded by Train to Gain. There were 181,000 starts in NVQs delivered in the workplace in 2007/08.  Notes: 1. Figures by parliamentary constituency are rounded to the nearest 10. All other figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Data for NVQs delivered in the workplace by FE organisations are included in the figures for 2008/09 onwards. 3. Figures are based upon the home postcode of the learner and on constituency boundaries which came in to effect in May 2010.  Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of Train to Gain starts and achievements is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 24 June:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current/
	Supplementary table 7 shows Train to Gain starts and achievements by parliamentary constituency, local authority and Government office region.

Train to Gain Programme: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses have received assistance from the Train to Gain programme in  (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency,  (b) Tower Hamlets and  (c) London in each year since the inception of that programme.

John Hayes: The Train to Gain brokerage service recorded the number of businesses who engaged with the Train to Gain provision through the brokerage service between 2006/07 and 2008/09 as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006/07 (1)51,600 
			 2007/08 52,100 
			 2008/09 39,700 
			 (1) This figure includes 4,000 employers engaged through the former Employer Training Pilots between April and July 2006. 
		
	
	In April 2009 the Train to Gain brokerage services was integrated into Business Link. Figures recorded by Business Link for Employer Engagement indicate that for April 2009 to July 2009 there were 16,149 employer engagements of which 2,418 were employer engagements in the London region; August 2009 to June 2010 there were 51,329 employer engagements, of which 9,289 were employer engagements in the London region.
	 Note: The number of employer engagements represents the number of employers who have engaged with the brokerage service. It does not represent the number of employers with employees learning on the Train to Gain programme.

University: Closures

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of university departments teaching  (a) science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects and  (b) other subjects which are at risk of closure as a result of proposed reductions in funding to university teaching.

David Willetts: We have no reliable evidence on which to make such an estimate. Lord Browne has recommended that funding for higher education should, in future, largely follow student choice. This would be supported by better information about course content and outcomes. This would allow popular and successful courses to prosper.
	Lord Browne also recommends that teaching grant should be concentrated on priority subjects, such as medicine or technology and in the recent comprehensive spending review announcement we were able to protect science and research. We have said that we agree with the broad thrust of Lord Browne's recommendations and will respond shortly.
	However, universities are autonomous institutions and have the freedom to choose the subjects they wish to teach. The Government cannot guarantee the future of any particular subject or institution.

Vocational Training

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that vocational training courses are delivered with the required expertise and experience; and whether he has considered the merits of implementing minimum teaching standards for vocational qualifications to include relevant expertise and experience within the vocational area being taught.

John Hayes: The Government believe that further education (FE) providers should forge strong links with employers. Teaching in FE and Skills is, for most teachers and trainers a second or third career. They are highly skilled and have dual profession such as plumbers, electricians and beauty therapists.
	A series of workforce reforms were introduced aimed at increasing the professionalism of the FE teaching workforce. The major levers for reform were embedded in regulations introduced in September 2007. These require teachers to hold appropriate qualifications and work towards achieving Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status and to become members of the Institute for Learning (IFL), the professional body for FE teachers.
	To ensure that both teaching and subject specialist skills are maintained and enhanced all FE teachers are required to demonstrate an annual commitment of at least 30 hours of continuing professional development (CPD). The Government are committed to maintaining requirements for a professional qualified FE teaching workforce.
	With regard to schools my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education has asked Professor Alison Wolf to carry out an independent review of vocational education. Professor Wolf will consider the organisation, funding, and target audience for vocational education, and the principles that should underpin the content, structure and teaching methods. She will report in spring 2011, and her findings will inform future developments to improve the standard of vocational education for 14-19 year-olds. As the findings of the review emerge the Department for Education will consider the implications for the teaching of vocational education in schools.

HEALTH

Contaminated Blood Products: Compensation

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of providing compensation for those who received contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s and their relatives; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The estimated cost of making ex-gratia payments to those who were affected by contaminated blood and blood products in 2010-11 is £13.6 million.
	However, we are currently reviewing payments for hepatitis C infection, and we intend to report the outcome of that review before the end of the year.

GP Budget Holding

Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on implementation of his proposals for GP budget holding  (a) nationally and  (b) in Dudley South constituency.

Simon Burns: The Department's engagement and consultation process on the proposals set out in the White Paper to establish local commissioning consortia of general practitioner practices finished on 11 October 2010. We are analysing all the contributions received, including four that we have received from Dudley, and our response will be published in due course.

NHS Services: Local Authority Funding

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the effect on NHS services of changes to funding for local authorities.

Andrew Lansley: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and I regularly discuss how the relationship between the national health service and local government can be strengthened. The White Paper set out significant opportunities for this. The spending review provided specific resources for local government and adult social care through the NHS, of up to £1 billion by 2014-15, to be spent on measures that support social care, which will also benefit health.

NHS: Winter Pressures

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what preparations he is making for anticipated winter pressures on the NHS in 2010-11.

Simon Burns: The Department has worked with strategic health authorities to ensure that the national health service has robust arrangements in place across local health and social care areas to deal with the additional pressures winter can bring. Since the autumn, the NHS has been working with its partners locally to address the challenges they will face during the course of the forthcoming winter.

Organ Donation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals for a soft opt-out system for organ donation.

Anne Milton: The Organ Donation Taskforce looked at the issue of an opt-out system for organ donation in 2008. The taskforce did not recommend moving to an opt-out system. An increase in donor rates has been achieved by implementing the taskforce's recommendations. We will seek further opportunities to increase organ donation, with the principles of informed consent.

Health Visitors

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for future numbers of health visitors.

Anne Milton: We believe the first steps in a child's development are crucial to the child's life chances. That is why we are committed to growing the health visitor work-force by 4,200 and developing universal health visiting services to drive-up health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.

Dementia Services: Devon

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to review the provision of health care services in Devon for those diagnosed with dementia.

Paul Burstow: As a result of revisions to the NHS operating framework earlier this year every primary care trust is obliged to publish its plans for implementing the national dementia strategy. This change along with our wider health reforms will increase transparency and local accountability.

Registered Organ Donors

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of registered organ donors.

Anne Milton: Activities are ongoing to promote organ donation and the number of people on the organ donor register continues to increase. NHS blood and transplant are working in partnership with the NHS, commercial and third sector organisations to promote organ donation locally and nationally.

Advisory Group for National Specialised Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish  (a) future arrangements for national specialist commissioning and  (b) the operations and remit of the new Advisory Group for National Specialised Services.

Simon Burns: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave him on 22 October 2010,  Official Report, column 898W, in response to the operations and remit of the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services.
	The White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" set out our proposals for transforming the quality of commissioning by devolving decision-making to local consortia of general practitioner practices, supported by the creation of an independent NHS commissioning board and launched an engagement and consultation process on how best to implement these changes. This period of consultation and engagement closed on 11 October 2010. The Department is now analysing all the contributions received and will respond to the consultation in due course.

Arthritis: Health Services

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made a recent estimate of the amount spent by  (a) each primary care trust and  (b) the NHS per head of population on rheumatoid arthritis services; and what progress his Department has made on its work to determine whether there is correlation between the quality of rheumatoid arthritis services and spending per head of population.

Paul Burstow: The Department does not collect expenditure data on rheumatoid arthritis and therefore cannot undertake any work on the correlation between expenditure and the quality of rheumatoid arthritis services.

Arthritis: Nurses

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of rheumatoid arthritis specialist nurses working in the NHS; what plans he has for the future number of such nurses in each of the next four years; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The information is not collected centrally.
	Rheumatoid arthritis specialist nurses are not separately identified within the NHS Workforce Census.

Back Pain: Health Services

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of specialist back pain diagnosis and treatment services; and what level of regional variation he has detected in that provision.

Paul Burstow: No assessment has been made. We believe that primary care trusts, and in due course general practitioner commissioning consortia responding to the needs and views of their patients, are in the best position to determine the priorities for improving services and responding to clinical innovation.
	However, a national audit into pain services is expected to report early next year. It is intended to give a broad overview of the state of provision of chronic pain services across England (including back pain over the duration of a three month period), both from the perspective of patients and in terms of adherence to good clinical practice. We will therefore have better information on the scale of the challenge once the new national pain audit reports.

Bone Cancer: Children

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average life expectancy is of a child patient treated with conventional treatments for osteosarcoma.

Paul Burstow: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave him on 22 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 898-99W.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress his Department has made on the roll-out of the age extension to the NHS Breast Screening Programme;
	(2)  what proportion of breast screening units have one or more full-field direct digital mammography machine;
	(3)  what research his Department has conducted on the effectiveness of  (a) digital mammography and  (b) standard mammography in respect of the screening of women in the lower age range of the NHS breast screening programme;
	(4)  what plans his Department has for the roll-out of digital mammography; and what timescale he has set for completing the roll-out.

Paul Burstow: The Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS) included the commitment that the NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHS BSP) would be extended to women aged 47 to 73. In June this year, we confirmed in the "Revision to the NHS Operating Framework 2010-11" that all local breast screening programmes should begin the extension in 2010-11.
	We are working with NHS Cancer Screening Programmes to ensure local programmes begin the age extension as soon as possible. By the end of March next year, we expect over 60% of screening programmes to have started the extension.
	One of the criteria for extension of the NHS BSP is that local screening programmes should have at least one Digital Mammography (DM) machine in place before they extend, in accordance with the timetable in the revised operating framework. Based on the latest information, 14 local screening programmes are fully digital and 36 have at least one DM machine.
	NHS Cancer Screening Programmes undertook a practical and technical evaluation of DM before it was considered for use in the NHS BSP. Studies in both Europe and America have found that DM is better than film screen mammography for younger women, premenopausal or perimenopausal women and women with dense breasts.

Cancer Drugs Fund

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding he plans to allocate to the Cancer Drugs Fund in  (a) 2011-12,  (b) 2012-13 and  (c) 2013-14.

Paul Burstow: Following the spending review, we have committed £200 million to the Cancer Drugs Fund in each of the three years from April 2011 to support improved access to cancer drugs. We are currently consulting on arrangements for the fund, including a proposal to distribute this funding to the national health service based on weighted capitation.

Cancer Drugs Fund

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health from what sources his Department is funding the interim Cancer Drugs Fund; and what amount of funding is being drawn from each such source in 2010-11.

Paul Burstow: The £50-million interim cancer drugs funding made available to the national health service in this financial year came from savings in central departmental budgets, which we have redirected to front-line care for cancer patients.

Carers: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department allocated to  (a) Brighton and Hove city council and  (b) NHS Brighton and Hove for the support of carers in each of the last three years; and what mechanisms are in place to ensure that such funding is appropriately disbursed.

Paul Burstow: Brighton and Hove city council received £1.102 million in 2008-09, £1.167 million in 2009-10 and £1.132 million in 2010-11 for the carers element of their area based grant.
	In the period covering 2009-11, £150 million was made available within primary care trust (PCT) allocations (£50 million in 2009-10 and £100 million in 2010-11) to enable them to provide breaks for carers.
	PCT revenue allocations are not broken down by policy at either a national or local level, therefore the money was not ring-fenced and there are no specific mechanisms in place to monitor its expenditure. It is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account their local circumstances and priorities set out in the NHS Operating Framework.

Cataracts: Waiting lists

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the median wait among those admitted for cataract extraction between 1 July and 30 September 2006 in England, subject to the proviso that admimeth =11, 12 or 13, that opertn_1 = C71, C72, C73, C74, C75 or C77 and that admidate minus elecdate <732 days;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the median wait among those who at midnight on 30 September 2006 were waiting to be admitted for cataract extraction in England were admidate > 30 September 2006, where elecdate is less than or equal to September 2006, and where the (uncompleted) wait = 30 September 2006 minus elecdate, subject to the proviso that admidate minus elecdate <732 days.

Simon Burns: The Department has not made estimates of the median wait for patients waiting for cataract extraction.
	Information on activity and time waited for cataract extraction and prosthesis of lens is available from the NHS Information Centre's Hospital Episode Statistics website:
	www.hesonline.nhs.uk/Ease/servlet/ContentServer?siteID=1937&categoryID=192

Childbirth

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to NHS trusts on the provision of choice to women in respect of place of birth.

Anne Milton: In the White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', we make the commitment to extend choice care in maternity through new maternity networks. In our consultation document 'Liberating the NHS: Greater choice and control' (published 18 October 2010) we are seeking views on what choices people would like to see in maternity and which ones they see as important.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guideline on 'Intrapartum care' (published September 2007) states: "Women should be offered the choice of planning birth at home, in a midwife-led unit or in an obstetric unit".

CJD

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) were diagnosed  (a) nationally,  (b) in Sussex,  (c) in Brighton and Hove City and  (d) in Hove constituency in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009; and in how many such cases CJD was recorded as being contracted as a result of dental treatment.

Anne Milton: Data on CJD deaths, supplied by the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit (NCJDSU), are shown in the following table. None of these cases were characterised as being the result of dental treatment.
	
		
			  Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease deaths 
			  Number 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 United Kingdom 88 84 79 98 91 
			 Sussex (west and east) 4 1 2 2 2 
			 Brighton and Hove City 1 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	The NCJDSU does not publish data by date of diagnosis, and does not routinely record cases by constituency, though it is understood that the one death recorded for Brighton and Hove City was in the Hove constituency.

Dementia: Medical Treatments

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to clinicians on the management of symptoms of agitation and aggression in dementia patients.

Paul Burstow: The Department has not issued guidance on the management of symptoms of agitation and aggression in dementia patients.
	Clinical guidance on Dementia: supporting people with dementia and their carers was last issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) in November 2006. This addresses the management of symptoms of agitation and aggression for those with dementia. The 2006 guidance makes clear that the use of antipsychotic drugs in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate non-cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and vascular or mixed dementias is not recommended. Clinical guidelines are recommendations by NICE on the appropriate treatment and care of people with specific diseases and conditions within the NHS. The NICE websites state that NICE expects to consider the need to review this guidance in November 2011.

Dementia: Medical Treatments

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what medical treatments are licensed for the treatment of behavioural symptoms in dementia; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Currently, only risperidone is licensed for:
	'the short-term treatment (up to six weeks) of persistent aggression in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's dementia unresponsive to non-pharmacological approaches and when there is a risk of harm to self or others.'
	There are other licensed products used in the treatment of dementia in Alzheimer's disease. These include the drugs, donepezil (Aricept(r)), galantamine (Reminyl(r)), memantine (Ebixa(r)) and rivastigmine (Exelon(r)). However, these products are used to treat the cognitive aspects of the disease rather than the behavioural symptoms.

Dental Services: Equipment

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consult the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the scientific basis for his Department's Health Technical Memorandum 01/05 on Decontamination prior to its implementation.

Simon Burns: The document Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 contains departmental guidance on the decontamination of dental instruments. The evidence and measures within the document were scrutinised by a number of means in order to ensure validity and proportionality to the assessment of risks. Advice was taken from an expert working group, including officials from the British Dental Association, the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee and the Advisory Committee on Decontamination Science and Technology, which supported the general principle of the need to improve local decontamination within dentistry. In this light, we are not persuaded that there would be added benefit in referral to the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence.

Dental Services: Equipment

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effects of implementation of his Department's Health Technical Memorandum 01/05 on Decontamination on the risk of infection of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease from dental treatment; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: There is evidence from animal studies that dental tissues (including dental pulp and gingiva) may provide a potential route of person to person Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) infection. The Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee (SEAC) in considering this risk has stated that:
	"improving the effectiveness of procedures used to decontaminate dental instruments would reduce the risk of transmission".
	SEAC's position statement on VCJD and Endodontic dentistry May 2006 can be found at:
	www.seac.gov.uk/statements/statement0506.htm
	The importance of observing the highest standards of decontamination in dental practice was emphasised in the chief dental officer's April 2007 letter to all dentists.
	Evidence supports the use of effective cleaning and sterilisation of used instruments in a validated steam sterilizer to reduce the potential risk of CJD transmission via dental instruments. This along with the recommendation of single patient use for all endodontics files and reamers and that all instruments which cannot be effectively cleaned be treated, where feasible, as single use are included in the essential quality requirements in Health Technical Memorandum 01-05. Implementation of this guidance will reduce the risk of transmission of CJD from dental treatment.

Dental Services: Equipment

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely costs for primary care trusts of compliance by NHS community practices with his Department's Health Technical Memorandum 01/05 on Decontamination; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: There is no direct cost to primary care trusts (PCTs) in compliance with the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05. Where the provider arm of the PCT is responsible for salaried dental services, these services will need to comply with the essential quality requirements as described in the HTM 01-05. The costs involved should be minimal as PCT provider services should all have been compliant with the previous guidance in the 'A 12' guide on decontamination in dental practice, issued by the British Dental Association in 2002, with the support of the Department.

Dental Services: Equipment

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely cost to NHS community practices of compliance with his Department's Health Technical Memorandum 01/05 on Decontamination; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Practices are required to meet the essential quality requirements (EQR) within Health Technical Memorandum 01-05. This will ensure that the risk of patient-to-patient pathogen transmission, especially form blood borne viruses is effectively reduced. The costs of implementing the essential quality requirements as described in the guidance should be minimal for practices already complying with previous requirements, set in the 'A 12' guide on decontamination in dental practice, issued by the British Dental Association in 2002, with the support of the Department. Practices that were complying with the earlier guidance should therefore incur few additional costs in complying with the EQR. We have not set a date for compliance with the higher 'best practice' standards set in the HTM.

Dental Services: Equipment

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely effects on dental charges to patients of implementation of his Department's Health Technical Memorandum 01/05 on Decontamination.

Simon Burns: Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 on Decontamination will have no effect on national health service dental patient charges.

Departmental Manpower

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely costs to  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) strategic health authorities arising from (i) staff redundancies and (ii) staff transfers attributable to (A) his proposed changes to his Department's non-departmental public bodies and (B) the proposed reforms in the NHS White Paper.

Simon Burns: The White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" laid out proposals for fundamental changes to the ways that the national health service is structured and run, including for the structures of primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and the Department. The precise costs of the transition to the new system will not be known until the new organisations that will underpin the new system have been designed in more detail.
	Four consultations relating to how the new organisations should be designed-specifically covering "transparency on outcomes, liberating the NHS: local democratic legitimacy in health" and "commissioning for patients and regulating healthcare providers"-have recently closed and once the results of these have been analysed we will publish the costs of the new system in an impact assessment.
	A further two consultations on other aspects of reform set out in the White Paper-specifically "an information revolution" and "greater choice and control"-have recently been launched and will close in January.
	In addition the public bodies review has laid out proposals for a number of changes to public bodies, including the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority, and the Human Tissue Authority, which are the responsibility of the Department. The Department is not yet able to produce robust costings of the changes arising from this reorganisation. This is because the precise costs of the transition will not be known until the operational detail of the changes is known.
	The Government will shortly publish an impact assessment assessing the impact of the changes proposed in the Public Bodies (Reform) Bill.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to ensure that his Department's decisions on regional funding allocations are based on the most recent available population data.

Simon Burns: National health service revenue allocations are currently made to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of a national weighted capitation formula which is used to determine each PCTs target share of available resources, to enable them to commission services to meet the health-care needs of the local populations they serve.
	The formula uses the most up-to-date sub-national population projections (SNPPs) available at the time from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Currently these are 2006-based (published in June 2008), and were used to inform PCT revenue allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11. SNPPs are currently produced every two years by ONS. The latest 2008-based projections were published on 27 May 2010 and included the latest methodology for estimating patterns of migration. These will inform future allocation rounds.
	For 2013-14 onwards, the NHS commissioning board will be responsible for the fair and efficient use of resources in the NHS. The Board will make allocations to general practitioner (GP) Consortia on the basis of securing equivalent access to NHS services in all areas relative to the prospective burden of disease and disability. The detail of how resources are allocated to GP Consortia will be a matter for the Commissioning Board.

Dialysis Machines: Wisbech

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will  (a) consider the merits of and  (b) estimate the cost of funding a satellite kidney dialysis unit in Wisbech.

Simon Burns: Regional specialised commissioning groups. (SCGs) are responsible for ensuring that sufficient and high quality renal replacement therapy is available for their residents. This is undertaken by working with their constituent primary care trusts (PCTs) to develop robust capacity plans to ensure that available capacity meets patient demand. Funding for additional renal dialysis is subsequently agreed via the local SCG prioritisation process against other specialised services competing for resources. Together with their constituent PCTs, SCGs are also responsible for ensuring that patients and the public play a role in deciding where services are located.
	The East of England strategic health authority has advised that the local SCG is developing plans to increase the numbers of local renal units so no patient is more than 30 minutes away from place of treatment. The SCG will also invest to increase home therapy dialysis services.

Food Supplements: EU Law

Claire Perry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on  (a) food supplements and  (b) implementation of the EU Food Supplements Directive.

Anne Milton: The Government believe that any regulation for food supplements should be based on safety and consumers having the right to make an informed choice. The European Food Supplements Directive was implemented in England in 2003 and came into force in 2005. The legislation contains a requirement to set maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements on the basis of science and safety. Discussions on this are expected to restart in 2011 and any proposal would need to be agreed by a majority of member states before implementation.

General Practitioners: Standards

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will be responsible for the operation of revalidation following the ending of primary care trusts.

Anne Milton: The General Medical Council (GMC) is responsible for the revalidation of doctors. Subject to parliamentary approval, responsible officers in primary care trusts will make recommendations to the GMC on the revalidation of doctors in primary care. Proposals for responsible officers to reflect new national health service structures will be brought forward in 2011.

Health Services: Hull

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) cost and  (b) purpose was of the 'We are Listening' NHS posters erected on lamp posts in and around Hull; what guidance his Department issues to NHS trusts on the use of such posters; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: This is a matter for the Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT). The Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA) reports that the 'We're all ears' listening exercise was a local initiative, implemented in response to needs that were identified by the PCT in the Hull city area.
	The Department does not issue guidance on how PCTs should be using local communications materials. However, guidance on the design of communications materials is provided through the national health service brand guidelines. The NHS brand website provides detailed guidance on how to apply the NHS brand to all communications materials. Details can be found at:
	www.nhsidentity.nhs.uk
	The Department would always encourage NHS communications teams to only spend money on materials where there is a proven need to do so, and through channels that are proven to be effective. We expect NHS organisations to seek the best value for money from any communications activities, and to evaluate the effectiveness of their communications.

Health Services: Summertime

Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on the provision of first response and acute medical services of the introduction of daylight saving time throughout the year.

Simon Burns: No such assessment has been formally made by the Department. The national health service ambulance service and acute trusts provide patients with urgent and emergency care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year taking into account any relevant factors including the impact of daylight saving time.

Health Visitors: Training

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost was of training a health visitor in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: This information is not collected centrally. As part of the programme to deliver the coalition Government commitment for the increase in the number of health visitors departmental officials are working with the national health service to ensure robust and up to date costings are used to plan the increase in training places.
	The cost of a health visiting training course is about £6,500 per trainee (i.e. headcount) and the average salary cost for a full-time equivalent health visiting student is about £37,000 (i.e. the salary of a full-time experienced nurse now training to be a health visitor).
	These figures are estimates only (based on information provided by strategic health authorities (SHAs) in 2005-06) and the actual costs will vary depending on local arrangements between SHAs and higher education institutions. Ultimately, it is the decision of SHAs how much they spend on training health visitors, and thus the Department, while using the most robust costing methodologies and information available for internal modelling work, cannot provide a definitive answer to the parliamentary question.

Health Visitors: West Sussex

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for future numbers of health visitors serving Crawley and West Sussex.

Anne Milton: At the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association conference on 21 October 2010, as part of the spending review announcements, we confirmed our intention to recruit, pay for and train 4,200 health visitors over the course of this Parliament, to ensure that all families have access to the support they need when children are in their early years.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons records from hospital episode statistics captured at the time and by means of a census yield a shorter median wait than records captured over a period and as a result of an event such as admission.

Simon Burns: Information on waiting times is typically recorded in two ways: either through a snapshot of patients still waiting at a moment in time; or recording how long individual patients have waited between referral and an event along their pathway such as an appointment, diagnostic test, decision to admit or starting treatment.
	These different approaches capture different information and yield different results.

Institute for Fiscal Studies

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in the last 24 months.

Simon Burns: The Department has made no payments to the Institute for Fiscal Studies in the last 24 months.

Maternity Services

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outcome was of his Department's review of the 'Making it Better' maternity services programme; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: This Government are committed to devolving power to local communities-to the people, patients, general practitioners (GPs) and councils who are best placed to determine the nature of their national health service locally. The Government have pledged that, in future, all service changes must be led by clinicians and patients, not be driven from the top down. To this end, we have outlined new, strengthened tests that proposals on NHS service changes must meet.
	They must focus on improving patient outcomes; consider patient choice; have support from GP commissioners; and be based on sound clinical evidence.
	Responsibility for local health services lies with the NHS locally. Therefore, we have asked the local NHS to look at how schemes that are ongoing meet these new tests-including 'Making it Better'. We are clear that services should be driven by the need to improve patient outcomes. NHS North West advises that the assessment for 'Making it Better' is incomplete, pending submission of the National Clinical Assessment Team report. Assessment will be concluded once all evidence has been submitted.

Medical Records: Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have received the summary care record database since the publication of the review of that database; whether he plans to provide information on the opt-out option to those patients whose records have already been added to the database; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Reports of reviews of the content of the summary care record (SCR), and of the information that patients receive, and the process by which they opt out of having a SCR, were published on 11 October 2010. Between that date and 27 October 295,898 new SCRs were created for patients where the general practitioner (GP) practice and the primary care trust (PCT) had agreed that patients had been adequately informed about the process, and properly enabled to opt out should they wish.
	Before implementation each PCT has always been required to conduct a public information programme to inform patients about the SCR, its implications, and the choices open to them, including opting out. The relevant SCR review concluded that there should be no requirement to re-mail those patients who had already received information, but that for those patients, and those about to be mailed, it was important that PCTs and individual GP practices be supported to further raise awareness. This work is now ongoing at a local, regional and national level, in concert with the professions, and patient and other voluntary organisations.

Medical Records: Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to enable patients to remove their summary care records from the summary care database.

Simon Burns: Patients have always been able to change their mind at any time and choose no longer to have a summary care record (SCR). If a patient chooses to do this, action will be taken so that the existing SCR can no longer able to be accessed by health care professionals.
	Patients can also request to have their record deleted rather than made inaccessible. This will be done so long as the SCR has not previously been used to provide care. Where the SCR has previously been accessed, a record of that access needs to be kept in case there is a subsequent investigation of the performance of a clinician or a dispute about the facts.
	Advice to this effect has been included in the information that has gone to date to patients who have already had a SCR created for them. The local awareness campaigns that will be undertaken following the recent review of the information that patients receive, and the process by which they opt out of having a SCR, will further reinforce this message.

Medicine: Education

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of graduates from medical schools in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009 failed to gain a higher medical training post in a UK hospital in the year immediately following graduation.

Anne Milton: All graduates for United Kingdom medical schools who applied to the Foundation programme in 2007, 2008 and 2009 were offered a place at one of the foundation schools.
	Not all graduates of UK medical schools choose to apply or take up a place on the Foundation programme. A small number choose to take time off, go abroad, or undertake research.

Mental Health Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to implement the Government's proposal to provide greater access to talking therapies within the NHS.

Paul Burstow: Earlier this year I announced confirmation of the final £70 million instalment of funding for the improving access to psychological therapies programme, which has enabled the broadening of the geographical range of talking therapy services, meaning more people can get help.
	Funding for expanding access to talking therapies to children and young people, older people and those with more serious mental illness was included in the spending review announcement on 20 October 2010. Plans for delivering this and completing the roll out of services for people with depression and anxiety disorders as part of a nationwide training programme for therapists are being developed. The plans will feature in the cross-Government mental health strategy and the public health white paper which are to be announced in due course.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of NHS expenditure on the treatment and prevention of mental illness in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: At 11% of total expenditure, the national health service spends more money on mental health (£10.4 billion in 2008-09) than on any other clinical area.
	NHS programme budget expenditure for mental health, 2007-08 and 2008-09 figures:
	
		
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			 Total gross expenditure (£) 93,183,426 96,814,987 
			 Mental health disorders (£) 10,278,503 10,415,840 
			 Proportion spent on mental health disorders (percentage) 11.03 10.76 
		
	
	In real terms, spend on adult mental health care grew by 50.3%, between 2001-02 (the first year for which comparable data is available) and 2008-09. The most recent data shows total planned investment increased from £5.530 billion in 2007-08 to £5.892 billion in 2008-09, a 6.6% increase in the amount, and 4.0% in real terms over 2007-08.
	The NHS programme expenditure is divided into 23 'programme budget' areas, the programme budget for mental health does not provide the level of detail which would allow us to estimate the split between treatment and prevention specifically.
	Regarding future spend on mental health, we cannot make an estimate. It is for local NHS providers to commission services, including mental health services, in their areas.

Midwives

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future  (a) training,  (b) recruitment and  (c) retention of midwives in the NHS.

Anne Milton: The coalition Government are currently considering the work force needed to deliver safe maternity services which extend maternity choice and help make safe, informed choices throughout pregnancy and in childbirth a reality.

NHS

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the implications for that Department of  (a) the proposals in the Health White Paper on 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS' and  (b) the commissioning of NHS dentistry of the Health White Paper on 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS'.

Simon Burns: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 10 June 2010 to discuss emerging ideas, which contributed to the development of 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', in particular the role of primary care trusts and local authorities. They did not discuss the commissioning of national health service dentistry.

NHS Commissioning Board

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms he plans to establish to assess the NHS commissioning board's performance against its objectives in commissioning services.

Simon Burns: As set out in "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS", the NHS commissioning board will be given a mandate by the Secretary of State. This will comprise progress against objectives and outcomes specified by the Secretary of State, drawing on the national health service outcomes framework, and will be subject to public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. Once the consultation and scrutiny process is complete and the content of the mandate is finalised, it will be possible to set out the means by which the performance of the NHS commissioning board is to be assessed.

NHS: Data Protection

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  on what conditions staff and medical files are transferred to NHS Shared Business Services;
	(2)  what access employees of NHS Shared Business Services in India have to NHS  (a) staff and  (b) patient records;
	(3)  how many staff NHS Shared Business Services employed  (a) nationally and  (b) in India in (i) 2005, (ii) 2009 and (iii) the latest period for which figures are available; and how many such staff his Department plans to employ in each such country in each of the next four years.

Simon Burns: NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) was established in April 2005 as a 50:50 joint venture between the Department of Health and Groupe Steria S.A. to provide business support services to the national health service, including finance and accounting, payroll, and e-procurement services.
	NHS SBS delivers services through an integrated onshore and offshore model. Its offices are based in Leeds, Bristol, Southampton and Ilford in the United Kingdom, and in Noida and Pune in India.
	When NHS trust staff transfer into NHS SBS their staff files are scanned and saved electronically by NHS SBS Human Resources and the original hard copies are destroyed. The same process applies to any occupational health reports or medical certificates held within staff files at point of transfer.
	NHS SBS data are held on servers hosted in the UK and where appropriate, only relevant data can be accessed from India. NHS SBS employees in India have access to staff data, using a secure link.
	No clinical or medical information-either hardcopy or electronic-can be accessed by NHS SBS employees in India. They are, however, able to access demographic information from the NHS Care Record Service.
	NHS SBS is independently accredited at Level Two for Information Governance under the NHS Information Governance Assurance Framework.
	The staff numbers for NHS SBS are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Date  India  United Kingdom 
			 31 December 2005 98 557 
			 31 December 2009 586 632 
			 30 September 2010 660 635 
			  Source:  NHS SBS 
		
	
	It is not possible to predict future staffing levels for NHS SBS for the next four years. Resources will be allocated according to market and business requirements.

Obesity: Summertime

Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on the rate of obesity of the introduction of daylight saving time throughout the year.

Anne Milton: None.

Pain

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people have a diagnosis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy or complex regional pain syndrome;
	(2)  what initiatives his Department has to increase awareness of reflex sympathetic dystrophy and complex regional pain syndrome among GPs.

Paul Burstow: Information on the number of people diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, or complex regional pain syndrome, is not collected.
	The NHS Choices website contains detailed information, suitable for health professionals or those recently diagnosed, on the diagnosis, symptoms and treatment options for complex regional pain syndrome.

Pain

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has  (a) carried out and  (b) funded on the treatment of reflex sympathetic dystrophy and complex regional pain syndrome in the last 10 years.

Paul Burstow: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) used to be known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy. The Department has not carried out any research on the treatment of CRPS.
	The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is currently funding a career development fellowship on understanding and manipulating the motor and sensory systems for the relief of pain. This includes research on CRPS.
	The NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme has recently funded two projects relevant to the treatment of CRPS:
	Spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain of neuropathic or ischaemic origin; and
	The clinical and cost-effectiveness of different treatment pathways for neuropathic pain.
	Records of individual national health service supported research projects collected up to September 2007, including some projects relating to CRPS, are available on the archived national research register (NRR) at:
	www.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/NRRArchiveSearch.aspx

Primary Care Trusts: Fertility

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts  (a) do and  (b) do not provide fertility treatment.

Anne Milton: Information about the number of primary care trusts (PCTs) providing fertility services for national health service patients is not collected centrally.
	We encourage all commissioners to take account of the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on infertility treatment in determining local provision of services. We are supporting the leading infertility patient organisation, Infertility Network UK, to work with PCTs on this.

Rochdale Hospital

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect on numbers of health-care staff at Rochdale hospital of the proposed transfer of facilities  (a) to and  (b) from the hospital;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on  (a) referral times and  (b) treatment of acute cases of the transfer of hospital facilities (i) from and (ii) to Rochdale hospital; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to consult on the planned Healthy Futures programme at Rochdale hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Responsibility for local health services lies with the national health service locally. Therefore, no assessment is made centrally of the impact of local service changes.
	This Government are committed to devolving power to local communities-to the people, patients, general practitioners (GPs) and councils who are best placed to determine the nature of their national health services locally. The Government have pledged that, in future, all service changes must be led by clinicians and patients, not be driven from the top down. To this end, we have outlined new, strengthened criteria that decisions on NHS service changes must meet.
	They must focus on improving patient outcomes; consider patient choice; have support from GP commissioners; and be based on sound clinical evidence.
	We have asked the local NHS to look at how schemes that are ongoing meet this new criteria by the end of October 2010-including those that impact on the Rochdale Infirmary, namely "Healthy Futures" and "Making it Better". We are clear that services should be driven by the need to improve patient outcomes. NHS North West advises that this work is now complete and that it is now reviewing the evidence provided. NHS North West will be able to advise on the process of the review.

Seasonal Affective Disorder: Summertime

Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on those diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder of the introduction of daylight saving time throughout the year.

Paul Burstow: No such assessment has been made.

Slaughterhouses: Regulation

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of breaches of regulations governing the operation of slaughterhouses in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: Breaches of regulations governing the operation of slaughterhouses are met with enforcement by the official veterinarian as part of the delivery of official controls. Enforcement includes both informal action (verbal advice, written advice, written warnings) and formal action (service of formal notices, formal warnings, cautions, referrals for investigation and prosecutions).
	The Food Standards Agency monitors informal written action and all formal action in every slaughterhouse. For the period 1 April to 30 July 2010 the following actions were taken in Great Britain:
	
		
			  Type of enforcement  Number 
			 Written advice/warnings 655 
			 Formal notices 66 
			 Recommendations for investigation 55 
			 Total 776 
		
	
	In the four month period (April to July 2010) enforcement action was taken for 776 breaches of regulations governing the operation of slaughterhouses (approximately 387 operating in this period). Breaches of regulations may also be met with verbal advice, for which total figures are not available.

Social Services: Finance

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason funding for local authority social care is no longer to be ring-fenced; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the end of such ring-fencing on disabled individuals and their families.

Paul Burstow: Currently, only funding worth £237 million is ring-fenced for social care. This is a very small proportion of total social care expenditure. We therefore do not anticipate that removing the ring-fence will have a significant effect on overall social care funding.
	However, the Government have taken the decision to simplify and streamline grant funding to local government, by rolling around £4 billion of specific grants in 2010-11 into the unhypothecated formula grant and reducing grants for local government from over 90 to fewer than 10. This includes £2.4 billion of social care grants.
	Streamlining local government funding will enable local authorities to redirect funds to protect the delivery of the essential frontline services that matter most to their local communities. Local authorities must be accountable primarily to their communities for how they prioritise resources. It will also allow councils to pool and align budgets with partners, reducing duplication and enabling resources to be targeted at the most effective solutions.
	The national health service will also make funding available to be spent on measures that support social care, which also benefits health. This funding will be up to £1 billion in 2014-15. We will set out more detail on how the NHS should use this funding to support social care in the '2011-12 Operating Framework'. There will, therefore, be more funding hypothecated specifically for social care in the upcoming spending review period than this year.

Surgery: South East

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled in hospitals, in each primary care trust area in the south- east in each year since 2005.

Simon Burns: The number of operations cancelled in hospitals in the south-east area, which includes both the South East Coast and South Central strategic health authorities (SHAs), in each year since 2005 is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Cancelled operations for non clinical reasons, NHS organisations in South East Coast 2005 - 10 
			   Number of last minute cancelations for non clinical reasons 
			  Name  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010( 1) 
			 Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust 427 429 491 366 374 114 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 492 302 244 291 407 149 
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 116 112 90 152 122 68 
			 East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust 244 345 271 312 353 253 
			 East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust 671 197 178 287 398 234 
			 Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 238 174 238 248 257 154 
			 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust 816 1,056 1,080 831 453 134 
			 Medway NHS Foundation Trust 178 75 110 129 175 119 
			 Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 43 31 42 93 103 37 
			 Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust 214 220 185 205 336 220 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 210 170 116 152 40 - 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 369 229 315 182 236 160 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 262 347 331 308 78 - 
			 Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust - - - - 242 177 
			 (1) Year to date 
		
	
	
		
			  Cancelled operations for non clinical reasons, NHS organisations in South Central 2005 - 10 
			   Number of last minute cancellations for non clinical reasons 
			  Name  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010( 1) 
			 Basingstoke and North Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust 137 78 74 82 113 27 
			 Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 551 322 332 493 348 173 
			 Hampshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) - 2 16 30 41 0 
			 Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 511 474 430 507 547 413 
			 Isle of Wight NHS PCT - 26 138 133 87 59 
			 Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 245 273 221 167 203 100 
			 Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust 144 81 60 56 73 28 
			 Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust 1,202 942 702 495 806 447 
			 Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 335 335 335 309 375 191 
			 Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust 95 84 108 50 313 251 
			 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 857 750 817 706 925 453 
			 Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 350 296 365 209 191 28 
			 (1) Year to date  Note: On 1 April 2009, Royal West Sussex NHS Trust merged with Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust to form Western Sussex NHS Trust  Source: Department of Health dataset QMCO

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to implement obligations under articles 10, 15, 17, 19, 20, 25 and 26 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to his Department's policy responsibilities.

Paul Burstow: Like every other country that has ratified the convention, the United Kingdom is required to report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities about what it has done to implement it. The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) is responsible for co-ordinating the UK Government's work on the convention, including the UK Government report which is due to be submitted to the UN Committee by July 2011.
	The Department is working with the ODI to involve stakeholders in the implementation, monitoring and reporting processes. For example, we have worked with stakeholders to facilitate workshops in the past few months and will feed their input to the ODI reporting process.

Voluntary Organisations

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effects of his Department's spending reductions on the statutory services provided by voluntary organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Voluntary sector organisations play vital roles in health and social care, delivering innovative, high quality, user-focused services, and achieving outcomes that can provide real social value. They have a strong track record of designing services based on insight into clients' needs, to which they are often well placed to respond flexibly to those needs.
	It is not possible to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the impact that spending reductions will have on statutory services provided by voluntary and community organisations because of the multitude of different contractual relationships this sector has with public bodies at different levels.
	However, the recent spending review makes no cuts to the health budget. As set out in the "Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2010-11", the Department plans to make a phased move towards an 'Any Willing Provider' model for community services, which will address barriers and open up opportunities for future statutory provision by independent and voluntary sector providers.
	The spending review also recognises the importance of social care in protecting the most vulnerable in society. In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging local government settlement, the coalition Government have allocated an additional £2 billion by 2014-15 to support the delivery of social care. This means, with an ambitious programme of efficiency, that there is enough funding available both to protect people's access to services and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes.
	As transition to these new arrangements takes place, we are promoting restraint in budget cuts to this sector and good practice in the commissioning and decommissioning of services, with due regard for the principles of the Compact.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Big Society Initiative

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans his Department has to contribute to the Big Society initiative.

Edward Vaizey: The Government's ambitions for DCMS, including its contribution to the Big Society, are set out in its Structural Reform Plan published on 15 July, which can be found on the DCMS website:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/7246.aspx
	The Plan will form a key part of the Department's wider Business Plan, which we intend to publish shortly, now that the spending review has concluded.

Broadband: Pilot Schemes

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what meetings  (a) he and  (b) his officials had with representatives of the devolved Administration on superfast broadband pilot areas prior to the announcement of pilot areas made on pages 65-6 of the spending review, Cm 7942.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply 
	in my capacity as a Minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills did not have any meetings with representatives of the Welsh Assembly Government about the superfast broadband pilots prior to their selection, but his officials had regular dialogue with all the devolved Administrations and regional development agencies prior to the selection of the superfast broadband pilots.

Broadband: Pilot Schemes

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2010,  Official Report, column 264W, on broadband, if he will publish the marks against each set of criteria and total mark given to each of the 11 locations proposed for the superfast broadband pilot.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply 
	in my capacity as a Minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The selection process involved making a judgment as to which of the projects proposed offered the best opportunities for learning that would inform the UK wide deployment strategy. This process did not involve awarding specific marks against the individual criteria.

Museums and Galleries: Fees and Charges

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will consider the merits of allowing these museums and galleries which have a free entry policy to charge non-UK visitors an entry charge.

Edward Vaizey: In line with the coalition manifesto there are no plans to review the policy of free admission to national museums and galleries.
	Under European Union law, institutions cannot discriminate between domestic and European Union visitors to our museums and galleries. Article 12 of the European Community Treaty prohibits any discrimination on grounds of nationality.

Television: Licensing

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the  (a) cost to the public purse and  (b) income from television licences foregone by the BBC of revising the television licensing guidelines to allow women's refuges and shelters to hold one television licence per establishment.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 1 November 2010
	No assessment has been made. Concessionary licences were reviewed in the last BBC Charter review and the conclusion was that there should be no change to the existing range of concessions.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Programme

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department plans to make available to the Access to Work programme in each of the next five years.

Maria Miller: The spending review announced a settlement in the region of £7.8 billion per year for DWP. As part of our planning process we are currently allocating funding to individual budgets including Access to Work.

Atos Healthcare

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanisms his Department has in place to ensure the quality of medical reports produced on its behalf by Atos Healthcare.

Chris Grayling: The contract between the Department for Work and Pensions and Atos Healthcare contains a number of quality indicators to measure the performance of health care professionals which are monitored on a monthly basis. Quality and accuracy is regularly monitored through a variety of methods including monthly management information, customer satisfaction surveys and feedback from complaints. The work of all health care professionals is subjected to quality audit which is conducted by experienced medical auditors within Atos Healthcare. The quality of Atos Healthcare's audit is validated by senior medical auditors from Atos Healthcare and doctors working for the chief medical adviser to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Carers

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with national carers' organisations on the continued implementation of the national carers' strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: Meetings with representative organisations have been held at ministerial and official level to discuss carers' issues in the context of the carers strategy.
	In addition, a 'call for evidence' exercise has been undertaken by the Department of Health, with national and local organisations as well as with carers themselves. This consultation sought their views on the key priorities for carers and concluded on 20 September 2010.
	The responses from the consultation are currently being considered by the Department of Health and will help establish the key priorities that will be the focus of an updated carers strategy to be published later this year.

Carer's Allowance

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to review the eligibility criteria for carer's allowance.

Maria Miller: The Government recognise that the United Kingdom's six million carers play an indispensable role in looking after family members or friends who need support.
	We have set out our commitment to simplify the benefit system in order to improve work incentives and encourage responsibility and fairness. We will consider carefully the needs of carers as we develop our thinking on welfare reform.

Carer's Allowance

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether partners of higher rate taxpayers will receive carer's credit once they are no longer eligible to receive child benefit.

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Erith and Thamesmead (Teresa Pearce) on 19 October 2010,  Official Report, column 643W.

Children: Maintenance

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission on the position of  (a) single parents without a new partner and  (b) parents with new families under split care arrangements.

Maria Miller: A large proportion of the Child Support Agency's caseload (for which the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has responsibility) are single parents without new partners. The Government have had no direct conversations with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission on this issue but we do monitor performance on a regular basis.
	Split care in child maintenance, also known as 'shared care', is a complex issue. Alongside the coalition agreement's goals to support families and end child poverty, the Government are committed to encouraging shared parenting from the earliest stages of pregnancy, including where parents do not live together. The Government are discussing with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission the role they can play in achieving these broader objectives.

Client Funds Account

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to publish the Client Funds Account for  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when does he plan to publish the Client Funds Account for (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10.
	Following the transfer of the Child Support Agency's functions to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Commission undertook an extensive programme of work around client funds to enable the publication of the accounts for 2008/09 and 2009/10. The Commission is confident that this work provides a more accurate picture of maintenance arrears and a more robust view of the arrears that are likely to be collected. While this work has taken longer than expected, the Commission is now working with the National Audit Office to finalise both accounts, and hopes to publish them in the near future.

Depression: Access to Work

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that people with depression are able to participate in the  (a) access to work and  (b) pathways to work programme.

Chris Grayling: Disability employment programmes, including access to work and pathways, are designed to support disabled people regardless of their disability. As such, people with depression are able to participate in both programmes.
	The Government will be phasing out many existing programmes, including pathways to work, as it introduces the Work programme. The Government aim to have the Work programme in place nationally by the summer of 2011. We want to ensure that as many people benefit from the Work programme as quickly as possible, including those suffering from depression.

Disability Assessments

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability assessments his Department carried out in each month of the last two years; how many appeals were lodged against the outcomes of such assessments in each such year; and how many of these appeals were upheld.

Maria Miller: The following table presents the number of assessments carried out for the work capability assessment for employment and support allowance by the month assessment was completed up to the end of June 2010 (the latest data available). Repeat assessments and clerical assessments are excluded from these figures. This is because the results of repeat assessments and clerically completed assessments cannot be determined from departmental benefits data.
	
		
			  Month of assessment  Total assessments 
			  2008  
			 October 0 
			 November 100 
			 December 1,000 
			   
			  2009  
			 January 3,300 
			 February 6,600 
			 March 14,900 
			 April 16,300 
			 May 21,300 
			 June 33,000 
			 July 35,000 
			 August 33,100 
			 September 32,500 
			 October 35,200 
			 November 37,100 
			 December 30,400 
			  2010  
			 January 34,400 
			 February 36,600 
			 March 40,900 
			 April 34,300 
			 May 36,800 
			 June 41,900 
			 Total 524,700 
		
	
	The following table presents data on ESA claims up to the end of August 2009 where the person claiming has been found Fit for Work, appealed the Department's decision and had an appeal heard by Tribunals Service by the end of July 2010 (the latest data we have from Tribunals Service). The number of appeals heard for claims started after August 2009 are too low for inclusion at this stage but will be included in future updates to the publication as more appeals are heard.
	
		
			  Total ESA work capability assessments, WCA outcomes and appeals against a fit for work decision at initial WCA by ESA claim start date 
			  Month ESA claim started  Total WCA  Support group  Work related activity group  Fit for work  Appeals heard (to date)  % fit for work with an appeal heard (to date)  Decision in favour of appellant  DWP decision upheld  % decision in favour of appellant  % DWP decision upheld 
			  2008   
			 October 5,500 700 1,200 3,600 1,400 39 600 900 40 60 
			 November 26,300 2,900 5,900 17,500 7,000 40 2,700 4,200 39 61 
			 December 23,300 2,600 5,600 15,100 6,200 41 2,500 3,700 40 60 
			
			  2009   
			 January 31,700 3,200 7,600 20,900 8,500 40 3,400 5,100 40 60 
			 February 29,700 2,900 7,100 19,700 7,600 38 3,100 4,500 40 60 
			 March 34,900 3,300 8,300 23,300 8,700 37 3,500 5,200 40 60 
			 April 33,000 3,200 8,100 21,700 7,500 35 3,100 4,400 41 59 
			 May 33,200 3,200 8,100 21,900 6,900 32 2,700 4,200 40 60 
			 June 34,600 3,300 8,700 22,600 6,300 28 2,500 3,800 40 60 
			 July 35,400 3,700 9,000 22,700 5,500 24 2,100 3,400 37 63 
			 August 32,000 3,300 8,400 20,300 4,100 20 1,500 2,600 37 63 
			 Total 319,600 32,300 78,100 209,200 69,500 33 27,500 42,000 40 60 
		
	
	This information is taken from official statistics published by the Department for Work and Pensions, last updated October 2010. The report can be found on the departmental website at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/index.php?page=esa_wca_arc

Disability Impact Assessment

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has carried out  (a) a disability impact assessment and  (b) any other impact on the effect of his proposed changes to benefits on disabled individuals and families.

Chris Grayling: Public authorities are legally obliged to pay due regard to the promotion of equality in carrying out their functions. These duties mean that all public bodies need to consider the impact of their decisions on people with disabilities when these decisions are made. The Department carries out equality impact assessments to ensure that the impact of decisions on people with disabilities, as well as other groups such as people from ethnic minorities, is taken into account.
	The equality impact assessment for the reassessment of old-style incapacity benefits customers is available at:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/875/pdfs/uksiem_20100875_en.pdf
	The equality impact assessment concluded that the reassessment would have considerable significance for disabled people, but that disabled people would not be exposed to particular risk.
	An equality impact assessment was carried out for the measures announced in the 2010 spending review. This is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spend_sr2010_equalities.htm
	The impact of the proposal to time-limit contributory employment and support allowance for customers in the work related activity group is included in this equality impact assessment. The equality impact assessment is clear that some people with a disability will be affected by the time-limit for contributory employment and support allowance, but that this will be mitigated for the most severely disabled and those on low incomes as neither the support group nor customers in receipt of income related employment and support allowance will be subject to the time limit. A full equality impact for the proposal to time-limit contributory employment and support allowance for customers in the work related activity group will be published as a part of the equality impact assessment for the Welfare Reform Bill.
	The proposed changes to disability living allowance will be introduced as a part of the forthcoming Welfare Reform Bill. An equality impact assessment for all changes to disability living allowance will be published as a part of the equality impact assessment for the Welfare Reform Bill.

Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the number of users of Motability cars of the removal of the mobility component of the disability living allowance for people in residential care.

Maria Miller: It is estimated that around 8,000 users of the Motability scheme will be affected by the removal of the mobility component of disability living allowance for people already in receipt of state funding for some, or all of their care costs in the form of local authority care packages. The Department will be discussing the proposed measure with Motability to enable them to decide how best they can manage the impact of this change on their customers.
	Local authority contracts with care homes should cover services to meet all a resident's assessed needs, including any assessed mobility needs, so an individual's care support and mobility needs should be met by residential care providers from social care funding. This measure will remove an overlap of public funds while ensuring that resources continue to be targeted at disabled people with the greatest needs.

Disability Living Allowance: Learning Disability

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in  (a) England and  (b) Easington constituency with a learning disability he estimates will be affected by proposals to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance for those who live in residential care homes; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: Reliable estimates of main disabling condition, including learning disabilities, for disability living allowance claimants in residential care homes are not available. Reliable estimate of numbers of disability living allowance claimants in residential care homes are not available other than on a Great Britain wide basis. We estimate approximately 60,000 people who claim DLA and live in residential care will be affected by this measure in Great Britain.
	Local authority contracts with care homes should cover services to meet all a resident's assessed needs, including any assessed mobility needs, so an individual's care support and mobility needs should be met by residential care providers from social care funding. This measure will remove an overlap of public funds while ensuring that resources continue to be targeted at disabled people with the greatest needs.

Disability Living Allowance: Scotland

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households in  (a) Aberdeen South constituency,  (b) Aberdeen local authority area and  (c) Scotland which will be affected by removing the mobility component of disability living allowance for people in residential care.

Maria Miller: Reliable estimates of disability living allowance claimants in residential care homes are not available other than on a Great Britain wide basis. We estimate approximately 60,000 people who claim DLA and live in residential care will be affected by this measure in Great Britain.

Employment

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what employment legislation his Department is responsible; and what progress his Department has made on the Government's proposed review of employment law.

Chris Grayling: BIS is responsible for most employment law. DWP has responsibility for a small number of areas of regulation that place obligations on employers. These include occupational pensions, statutory sickness and maternity payments, employers' liability insurance, and health and safety law.
	Most of these areas have been subject to review since 2007 in order to ensure that they do not place unnecessary burdens on business. We will consider these areas again over the long-term as part of post-implementation reviews of changes made, and will engage with interested parties as part of the that process.

Employment and Support Allowance: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Peterborough constituency received  (a) employment and support allowance and  (b) incapacity benefit in each quarter since June 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The information is provided as follows:
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance and employment and support allowance claimants in Peterborough constituency each quarter from May 2005 
			   Peterborough constituency 
			   Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance  Employment and support allowance 
			 May 2005 4,770 n/a 
			 August 2005 4,780 n/a 
			 November 2005 4,720 n/a 
			 February 2006 4,720 n/a 
			 May 2006 4,750 n/a 
			 August 2006 4,740 n/a 
			 November 2006 4,730 n/a 
			 February 2007 4,740 n/a 
			 May 2007 4,810 n/a 
			 August 2007 4,850 n/a 
			 November 2007 4,890 n/a 
			 February 2008 4,900 n/a 
			 May 2008 4,900 n/a 
			 August 2008 4,960 n/a 
			 November 2008 4,890 100 
			 February 2009 4,660 290 
			 May 2009 4,510 560 
			 August 2009 4,380 800 
			 November 2009 4,310 920 
			 February 2010 4,400 1,120 
			  Notes: 1. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) for new claimants from October 2008. It is not possible to receive IBSDA and ESA at the same time. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied. 3. Constituencies used for February 2010 are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. Prior to this the constituencies used are for May 2005. 4. IB/SDA 'Claimants' include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a national insurance credit, ie 'credits only cases'.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data.

Employment Schemes: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2010,  Official Report, column 156W, on employment schemes: Peterborough, for what reason the number of completers in respect of the schemes listed have not been collected; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The data source (Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System) for the DWP led elements of the young person's guarantee official statistics does not contain robust information on Community Task Force completions.
	We do not currently have quality assured statistics on the number of completers of the BIS elements (routes into work and work focused training) of the young person's guarantee. We will look to develop these statistics for publication in January 2011.

Employment Schemes: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in Peterborough constituency who will be invited to participate in the Work programme; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The spending review confirmed the Government's commitment to welfare reform, and to the introduction of the Work programme. The Work Programme will provide more personalised back to work support for long-term unemployed people and for those with more significant barriers to employment.
	The Department are currently working through the full implications of the spending review for the Work programme and further announcements on the customers eligible for support and their entry points to the programme will be made in due course.

Housing Benefit: Scotland

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an estimate of the effects on residents of Argyll and Bute constituency of his proposed changes to housing benefit arrangements.

Steve Webb: The Department published a document on 'Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12' on the 23 July, which includes analysis at the local authority level. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit: Applications

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of incapacity benefit claimants claim  (a) on the grounds of multiple illnesses or conditions and  (b) for a single condition.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not hold information on people claiming incapacity benefits with or without multiple conditions. The Department holds information on the primary condition recorded at the start of the benefit claim but it should be noted that this is not the basis for entitlement. People do not qualify for ESA on the grounds of their condition but on the grounds of their functional impairment. Data published in August 2010 on the WCA by health condition and function:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/index.php?page=esa_wca_arc
	show how many people qualified for the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) by scoring points in each of the functional impairment groups at the work capability assessment.
	These groups are functional activities relating to:
	Lower Limb
	Upper Limb
	Sensory
	Continence
	Consciousness
	Understanding and Focus
	Adapting to Change
	Social Interaction.
	If we look at how many people scored in only one functional group or more than one functional group the split is:
	48% scored in just one of the categories
	52% scored in more than one.
	Note that these figures are only for people who are placed in the WRAG after a face to face assessment. It does not include people who are not scored (mainly people in the support group, those placed in the WRAG without requiring a face to face assessment and people in the WRAG after appeal) or those who do not score enough points (found fit for work) or who leave ESA before any assessment takes place. However, the majority of people in the WRAG are there after scoring 15 points or more at a face to face WCA.

Jobcentre Plus

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many discretionary payments of less than £5 were made by Jobcentre Plus in each year since 2005.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not readily available centrally and can be collated only at disproportionate costs.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of people in Bridgend constituency who  (a) claim support for mortgage interest and  (b) receive less in support for mortgage interest payments than the cost of their mortgage interest.

Steve Webb: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The information requested is not available at parliamentary constituency level. Information on support for mortgage interest is only available from 5% sample data, and the sample sizes at parliamentary constituency level are too small to provide a
	robust estimate.
	The information is available at Government Office region level. At February 2010 there were 15,100 claims for support for mortgage interest in Wales.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures have been uprated using 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study totals.
	2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest100.
	3. Information on claimants receiving help with mortgage interest payments is derived from a 5% sample of claimants, which is subject to sampling variation.
	4. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	5. Rules for customers making a claim for mortgage interest changed from 5 January 2009. From this date customers have to serve a waiting period of 13 weeks before housing costs are paid, at which time 100% of their eligible mortgage interest could be paid. IS and JSA(IB) customers with partners aged over pension credit age and those in receipt of pension credit do not have to serve a waiting period.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate 5% samples
	 (b) This information is not available because the Department does not collect management information on the actual interest rates that apply to support for mortgage interest customers' loans.

Motability

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding his Department has provided for Motability cars in each of the last five years; how many such cars were in use in each such year; what funding he plans to allocate to the scheme in each year to 2014-15; and what requirement his Department places upon provider charities to obtain value for money from such funding.

Maria Miller: Motability is an independent charitable organisation and is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability Scheme. Motability is largely self financed and the only funding the Department for Work and Pensions gives the scheme relates to the Specialised Vehicles Fund, which Motability administers on our behalf. The Specialised Vehicles Fund provides financial assistance to those severely disabled scheme customers who require complex vehicle adaptations that allow them to enter a car as a passenger while remaining seated in their wheelchair or enables them drive their car while seated in their wheelchair. Information on the number of Motability car scheme customers, the amount of funding the scheme received in respect of the Specialised Vehicles Fund and how many cars were adapted as a result of this financial assistance in each of the last five years is contained in the following tables. No decision has been reached on funding for the Specialised Vehicles Fund from 2011-12 onwards.
	Independent analysis commissioned by Motability indicates that the car scheme is typically 35% cheaper on a like-for-like basis than other lease providers for the same car models. This reflects the scheme's economies of scale and the significant discounts it is able to negotiate as a result. Motability provides regular updates to the Department in respect of the Specialised Vehicles Fund and continues to work with vehicle manufacturers, the adaptation industry and other business partners to deliver the best possible value for its disabled customers.
	
		
			  Number of Motability car scheme customers in each of the last five years 
			   Number 
			 2005-06 434,147 
			 2006-07 460,149 
			 2007-08 489,414 
			 2008-09 519,932 
			 2009-10 549,059 
		
	
	
		
			  Funding for the Specialised Vehicle Fund and the number of wheelchair passenger and drive from wheelchair cars helped by the fund over the last five years 
			   Funding (£ million)  Number of drive from wheelchair cars  Number of wheelchair passenger cars 
			 2005-06 8.615 64 1,143 
			 2006-07 9.087 67 1,714 
			 2007-08 12.7 204 2,218 
			 2008-09 17.036 253 1,559 
			 2009-10 17.036 286 2,068

Pensions: Child Benefit

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether all mothers entitled to receive contributions to  (a) a basic and  (b) a second state pension under the provisions of the Pensions Act 2007 until their youngest child reaches the age of 12 will continue to do so following the proposed changes to child benefit.

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Erith and Thamesmead (Teresa Pearce) on 19 October 2010,  Official Report, column 643W.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 13 September 2010,  Official Report, columns 821-22W, on social security benefits: appeals, what the cost to the public purse was of rejection of the 31,600 claims for employment support allowance made between October 2008 and June 2009 which were subsequently allowed on appeal.

Chris Grayling: The appeals process against work capability assessment (WCA) decisions relating to employment and support allowance (ESA) is partly handled by Jobcentre Plus, an agency of the Department for Work and Pensions, with the majority of the process being handled by the Tribunals Service, part of the Ministry of Justice.
	While the Tribunals Service are unable to break down the exact full costs of tribunals for specific benefit types, the average unit cost of clearing a social security and child support appeal, on the basis of an average Tribunal Panel that would hear such cases and all associated administration costs of processing the case, is £293. Therefore, the cost of disposing of 31,600 appeals is approximately £9 million.
	The average direct staff unit cost within Jobcentre Plus of an ESA Appeal is approximately £55. Therefore the cost to Jobcentre Plus of administering 31,600 appeals is approximately £2 million.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which local authorities use voice risk analysis to help detect benefit fraud; and what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of that technology in the latest year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: In 2008-09 a total of £1,734,314.07 was paid directly to the 24 local authorities involved in voice risk analysis pilots. There was no DWP funding for voice risk analysis in subsequent years. The pilots finished in December 2009. Local authorities can continue to use voice risk analysis at their own discretion and at their own expense.
	 Table of participating pilot local authorities
	Aberdeen city council
	LB Barking and Dagenham
	Basildon council
	LB Bexley
	Birmingham city council
	Bristol city council
	Bromsgrove council
	Bury metropolitan council
	Coventry city council
	Durham council
	Doncaster metropolitan council
	Eastbourne council
	Edinburgh city council
	Flintshire council
	Glasgow city council
	LB Harrow
	LB Lambeth
	Lichfield council
	Northamptonshire Shared Service
	Swindon council
	Vale of Glamorgan
	Walsall council
	Warwick council
	Royal borough of Windsor and Maidenhead,

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria will be used to determine the awarding of contracts to private sector companies to implement the fraud prevention techniques referred in the Government's fraud and error strategy; and at what level performance-related pay for such services will be set.

Chris Grayling: The Department's new joint strategy with HMRC for tackling welfare fraud and error was published on 18 October 2010. The strategy contains a wide range of measures including plans to build partnerships with private sector firms, such as credit reference agencies, to radically increase the range of third party data on our customers that is used to counter welfare fraud and error.
	As part of implementing the strategy with regard to access and use of third-party data, we will be developing specific requirements and associated evaluation criteria prior to engaging with interested private sector companies. It is therefore too early to confirm details of the criteria or the commercial arrangements

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of refusals of applications for benefits of each type based on medical examinations commissioned by his Department were subsequently overturned on appeal in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The following table shows the information immediately available: the number of employment and support allowance fit for work decisions at initial assessment, the number and proportion of appeals heard to date that relate to the fit for work decision and the number and proportion where the appellant was successful.
	I will write to the hon. Member with information regarding information on incapacity benefit later this month and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Month ESA claim started  Fit for work (number)  Appeals heard to date (number)  Percentage fit for work with an appeal heard (to date)  Decision in favour of appellant (number)  DWP decision upheld (number)  Percentage decision in favour of appellant  Percentage decision upheld 
			  2008
			 October 3,600 1,400 39 600 900 40 60 
			 November 17,500 7,000 40 2,700 4,200 39 61 
			 December 15,100 6,200 41 2,500 3,700 40 60 
			  2009
			 January 20,900 8,500 40 3,400 5,100 40 60 
			 February 19,700 7,600 38 3,100 4,500 40 60 
			 March 23,300 8,700 37 3,500 5,200 40 60 
			 April 21,700 7,500 35 3,100 4,400 41 59 
			 May 21,900 6,900 32 2,700 4,200 40 60 
			 June 22,600 6,300 28 2,500 3,800 40 60 
			 July 22,700 5,500 24 2,100 3,400 37 63 
			 August 20,300 4,100 20 1,500 2,600 37 63 
			 Total 209,200 69,500 33 27,500 42,000 40 60 
			 1. Data are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. The breakdown is presented by month of ESA claim start. 3. For claims that began after August 2009 due to the time it takes to assess a claim and for a subsequent appeal to be heard (if applicable) appeal figures are low and not representative. Note however that the number of appeals presented in the table will continue to increase as more appeals are processed. 
		
	
	The table above uses data on appeals heard to the end of July 2010-the latest available.

Social Security Benefits: Students

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to bring forward proposals to enable employment support allowance to be available immediately to students who suspend their studies due to a health condition or disability.

Maria Miller: holding answer 28 October 2010
	Students are not normally eligible for social security benefits as they should be supported by the higher education system. However, there are exceptions which enable disabled students receiving disability living allowance to receive employment and support allowance. Disability living allowance is not normally payable before a three month qualifying period. The Government have no plans for allowing exceptions to these rules in respect of students.
	When a student becomes too ill to continue their course and so abandons it, they are no longer treated as a student and may apply for ESA immediately. From November 2010, students who become too ill to continue with their studies and, with the agreement of the university or college authorities, suspend (rather than abandon) their participation on the course will no longer be treated as having a student loan available to them when working out how much they may be entitled to. If a student suspends a course in those circumstances and has drawn-down their loan, we will only take it into account for the period the loan is intended to cover.

Therapeutic Earnings

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the maximum allowable limit for therapeutic earnings.

Maria Miller: Incapacity benefit therapeutic earnings limits were replaced by permitted work earnings limits in April 2002. Customers on incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance are allowed to earn up to £95.00 a week for up to 52 weeks without their benefit being affected provided they do not work for more than 16 hours a week on average.
	Representations received in response to the Government's recent '21st Century Welfare' consultation document (published on 30 July 2010) are supportive of our proposed reform of benefit rules across the social security system which is designed to ensure that it pays to be in work for everyone in benefits.

Unemployment Benefits

Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals were continuously in receipt of out-of-work benefits between 1 June 1997 and 31 May 2010.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance, incapacity benefit/severe disability allowance or income support continuously since 1997, GB and abroad, as of February 2010 
			  February 2010  Number 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 260 
			 Incapacity benefits 588,980 
			 All other income support 59,480 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Benefits are arranged hierarchically and claimants are assigned to the topmost benefit which they receive. 3. For this analysis the claim start date has been used. 4. Jobseeker-claimant of jobseeker's allowance. 5. Incapacity benefits-claimant of either incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance. 6. Income support-claimants of income support not included in the incapacity benefits figure. Figure includes 2,578 with a declared income from less than 16 hours a week work. 7. Analysis excludes claimants who have flowed between benefits.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Unemployment: Rural Areas

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the level of access to transport for unemployed people seeking work in remote rural and valley areas; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: It is an integral part of the role of advisers in Jobcentre Plus to take account of local transport issues when advising unemployed people seeking work on the options available. All claimants should be willing to take employment within a reasonable travel to work area. The local travel to work area is determined by each individual Jobcentre, taking into account the availability of local transport facilities.
	Broader policy regarding the role of transport in supporting regional economies is the responsibility of local authorities and other local bodies. National transport policy is the responsibility of the Department for Transport and the devolved Administrations.

Winter Fuel Payments

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to maintain the winter fuel payment at no less than its current rate in the period after 2011.

Steve Webb: Decisions on the rate of winter fuel payments for future winters are generally made as part of the annual Budget cycle.

Work Capability Assessment

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had on accurate reflections of claimants' conditions in the outcomes of work capability assessments.

Chris Grayling: Firstly, it is important to note that the work capability assessment (WCA) is not condition-based. Rather than making assumptions about someone's capability for work based on their condition, it looks at their functional ability. This is because a health condition or disability will affect people in different ways and at different levels of severity, and we do not want to write people off by assuming that their health condition or disability is a barrier to work.
	From March 2009 to March 2010, the Department led a review of the WCA, which engaged with medical and other experts and specialist disability groups. It conducted detailed case-study analysis, and concluded that generally the WCA is accurately assessing individuals for the right benefit. It also made a number of recommendations for improving the assessment, which we have accepted and plan to implement from spring 2011.
	In addition, we have commissioned Professor Malcolm Harrington to undertake the first of five independent reviews of the operation of the WCA. He is supported by a small scrutiny group which includes Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind. Professor Harrington is evaluating the fairness and accuracy of the assessment. We look forward to receiving his report later this year and will give careful consideration to his recommendations. Where necessary, we will make changes to improve the WCA.